A Dish Best Served Cold
by LastMartian
Summary: Someone is targeting Rachel and her friends, but who is it? Why are they trying to harm her loved ones? Post Pale Demon, this is a follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness. Eventual Ravy, but it will be a slow buildup.
1. Recovery

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 1**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

I wanted to scream. My life had become shambling trips between my bedroom and the living room, with brief trips to the bathroom to break up the monotony. Getting shot had been rough, but this was plain torture. I shifted yet again on the couch, hoping that I could find that sweet spot where I was comfortable and not in too much pain. Laying here for the past week was slowly driving me crazy; I don't think that I've ever been this still since I was a kid. Watching TV and reading was all and nice good for a relaxing evening, but I craved getting outside for a run or just simply going shopping. Of course, there was no way I would get within ten feet of a door without alerting…

"Rachel, do you need something?" Ivy had come to the doorway of the living room, looking intently at me. _As if she could read my mind_. Ivy had become my nursemaid during my recovery, taking it upon herself to be there for me when I needed her. It was really sweet at first, but it had worn down quickly. It reminded me too much of the nurses at the hospital when I was younger, always checking up on me, reading vitals and the like. I felt trapped in the church with her, which wasn't her fault, but I couldn't help myself.

Sighing a little loudly, I responded to her, "No, Ivy. I was fine ten minutes ago and I am still fine now." I knew that my tone was exasperated, which was unfair to her. She couldn't help her instinctual need to be a nurturer no more than any other vampire. Since vampires feel this way around children and the invalid, I just took it as her viewing me as an invalid. While it might be true, it still grated on my sense of independence.

Ivy gave a terse nod of her head and returned to the kitchen. She quickly resumed washing the dishes from our breakfast. I wanted to apologize to her, but I was too damn stubborn. I hated admitting I was wrong in any circumstance, especially when I knew that I had been wrong. I felt like that I had been saying sorry to Ivy multiple times over the days because of all the things she was doing and going through for my sake. I was tired of apologizing, just like I was tired of being in situation where I had to apologize so much.

Ivy had never complained once over the past two weeks since I came home from the hospital. She helped me to and from bed. She helped me get dressed when I got up and before bed, which greatly embarrassed me. She cooked frequently; it was so unlike Ivy to cook, that it had really thrown me off when she first did so. She had even insisted on helping me bathe the first day, but I had quickly shut that down. I knew that she was only offering because she felt responsible for my care and not that she was being lecherous, but it still felt too creepy.

It had been two months since our talk (well, Ivy's talk) in San Francisco, and Ivy had actually been more open with me since then than in our entire friendship. Nothing had changed since my trip to the hospital, but memories of her previous desires still flitted through my head occasionally. I kept wondering if Ivy really had moved on from me, always waiting to see that she had simply said those words without meaning them. I never had felt any kind of impropriety from her since we got back home, but the thought of her seeing me naked for bath time sent shivers down my spine. I wasn't sure if I really wanted that.

I reached for the water that Ivy had thoughtfully brought me earlier, drinking it down quickly. "Ivy, can you get me some more water, please?" _I'm not really thirsty now, why am I asking for more?_ Ivy quickly appeared, drying her hands on a towel. Reaching over for my glass, she hurriedly moved back into the kitchen. I soon heard the refrigerator door open and water pouring into my glass. The refrigerator door closed once more, and, before I knew it, Ivy was back in the living room with my water.

"Did you need anything else, Rachel?" I noticed that her face had a concerned but guarded look on it; I realized that she was warring between being caring and being hurt from my previous insensitivity. _Great, something else I need to apologize for. Do I do anything besides hurt her?_

"No thanks, Ivy." She had started to turn back to the kitchen. I felt the guilt building up in me, and I knew that I had to say something now, before my guilt and her hurt got worse. "Ivy, wait." She turned back around, with the same expression on her face. _She was wanting to help me, but she is also waiting for the other shoe to drop_ , I recognized miserably. "I'm sorry that I've been a grouch. I'm feeling too cooped up. It's not your fault that I can't do anything, and I wished that I hadn't taken it out on you. I can never thank you enough for willingly taking care of me when I've needed it so much. I just wish that I could go outside for more than a few minutes at a time; I would give anything to go root about in the garden, go running at the zoo, or just simply spend the day outside at Fountain Square."

A look of relief passed over Ivy's face; she came over by the couch to kneel by my side. She gave my hand a quick squeeze before withdrawing. "Dear heart, I wish that I could take this away from you. You just need time to rest or you won't get better." She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "I think it would be okay if we took a short trip into the Square or a park if you like, but you would have to promise to listen to me when I say it's time to go."

I felt a brief annoyance at Ivy, who sounded too much like my mother for comfort. It quickly passed as it sunk in that Ivy, by-the-book Ivy, was allowing me to go outside. No, agreeing. Allowing still felt like Ivy mothering me, and that felt wrong on too many levels. My mother had already been here during my convalescence, and, while I love her dearly, I was glad to see her go. She stayed here for my entire hospital visit and for the first week home. She and Ivy were almost competing to see who could care for me; I could tell Ivy was getting frustrated with my mom at some points. It was best for all parties when she announced that she was going back out west; a feeling of peace descended onto the church after her departure.

While I was eager to go out, I realized that I needed to take the time to dress somewhat more appropriately for the occasion. My ratty t-shirt and old gym shorts should probably never be seen in public. I knew this meant that I needed Ivy's help with getting dressed. Thankfully I had already bathed today, so that was at least one situation I could avoid. I suddenly was aware of her gaze on me, as I hadn't yet responded to her about going out.

"Thanks, Ivy. Going out sounds heavenly, even if it's only for a short time. I miss being out in the sun." I grinned sheepishly at her. "Can you please help me change? I don't think the public is quite ready for me to go out in this outfit."

Ivy chuckled, holding her hand out to me. Gently she pulled me to my feet, despite my wincing at the movement. I tried to suppress it as much as I could; Ivy had agreed to going out, and I wasn't going to give her any indication that she should change her mind. We slowly moved down to my room, with Ivy giving me little words of encouragement as I walked. _Again with the mothering_. It was cute until it wasn't. Still, nothing was going to make me say or do anything to prevent my outside excursion.

Finally reaching my room, I still was impressed by the amount of care Ivy dedicated herself to. My room was spotless. I don't think that I had seen this much floor since I moved in. All my clothes were washed and neatly folded and put away or hanging. I wouldn't be surprised if my clothes were now organized by color or function, if not both. Ivy had taken the time to vacuum, dust, and generally clean until my room looked immaculate. In short, it didn't feel like my room.

Ivy guided me to my bed, so that I could sit while she gathered my clothes and put them on me. Feeling very much like a life sized doll, I watched as she went to my closet to peer at my clothes. I really didn't want her dressing me up in anything too uncomfortable; I needed to make the decision now before she made it for me. "Ivy, my comfortable jeans please. No, not those", as she held out a pair for me," the ones to the left of that." Laying that pair on the bed, she moved over to my dresser to find a shirt. I really just wanted an oversized t-shirt that would be easier to get on, so I just readily agreed to the one she pulled out. It was the shirt she had bought for me from our trip to San Francisco; usually I used it as a night shirt, but it was in good enough condition to wear out.

 _Now comes the uncomfortable part, for both of us_. I gave a hesitant smile to her, slowly lifting my arms above my head. It caused some pain to stretch my body like that, but it was tolerable. I could tell that Ivy was conflicted every time she changed me; she had always previously wanted to be in the position of taking off my clothes, but was doing so in a caregiver manner right now. I could tell it bothered her by the way she gingerly took my shirt hem, being ever so careful not to touch my skin. I would have rather her just get it over with. Slowly she pulled off my shirt, leaving me topless. (Yes, usually I wore a bra, but the damn thing is uncomfortable even when I am in good health.) I noticed that she was doing her best to not look at me while pulling the t-shirt on. She fumbled with it a bit but managed to get it on right the first time.

 _Now the jeans_. She lowered me to the bed, so I would be laying down for the clothes change. At least I was wearing panties; no flashing body parts to worry about here. Butterflies erupted in my stomach when she reached for the elastic of my shorts. I quickly glanced at her eyes, but all I saw was the normal cinnamon color; the lack of black in her eyes meant she wasn't vamping out. _Damn it, I don't need to be scared, she was just being helpful. Why did I freak out every time?_ She gently pulled my shorts off and laid them on the bed. Slowly she pulled the jeans on until they came up to my thighs. I knew I needed to raise my butt here so she could slide them on fully, but this would be a bit painful. Using my hands, I pressed down on the bed to lift myself up, causing a grimace to appear on my face. She quickly pulled them up so that I could once again relax. She stepped back, and I realized that she was leaving the buttoning and zipping to me. I was just as glad to do it myself.

A pair of socks completed the ensemble, with Ivy pulling out a pair of running shoes for me. While I was nowhere near in shape to go running, these would definitely be more comfortable than wearing boots right now. Kneeling down, she quickly ensconced my feet and tied the shoes. Ivy stood up and then sat down on the bed beside me. Using one hand behind me and the other to pull me up, she was able to get me to sit up in the bed. I grunted a little at the pain that shot out of my wound, which earned me a raised eyebrow from Ivy. Shaking my head, I motioned to her to continue the journey up. Complaining right now would have earned me a quick trip back to the couch.

The trip out to the car was uneventful but long. I was so afraid that Ivy was, at any minute now, going to decide that enough was enough and I was going back inside. Thankfully we reached the car without any words being spoken. She opened the car door for me, helping me get inside without much fuss. I'd argue with her that I wasn't a complete invalid, but it would be pointless to do so when I knew that the truth was a little too close to the mark for my comfort. Soon, she was in the driver's seat, and we slowly pulled away from the church. "Where to, Rache? A park or the Square?"

"Can we go to the Square? It should be nice and sunny there, and there is that Greek restaurant there that we both like. We can sit outside while we eat." I also felt like I could do a little window shopping. It wouldn't be anything more than that, as being out of work for three weeks had put a serious damper on my finances.

Ivy nodded her head and started off to the city. I was rather shocked at first; Ivy drove rather sedately compared to her normal. Usually I was holding onto my seat as if my life depended on it, which I sometimes felt it did. Vamp reflexes were incredibly fast, but my slower thought processes in comparison just couldn't handle how fast she would drive. I was sure that I was going to end up a nice bright red spot on the ground whenever Ivy drove. This time, however, she drove at speeds that I found comfortable, at decidedly less than Indy 500 speeds. I knew she was doing it for my benefit, which I did appreciate. _I guess some mothering is a good thing_ , I mused.

Despite the lack of rush, we made good time to the square. Parking, as always, was a nightmare, but we found a relatively close by spot. We made our slow trek into the Square. I couldn't help but notice people going out of their way to not be close to us. _Were they still unaware that my shunning had been reversed? Maybe they were afraid that being a demon was catching?_ In ways, I stopped caring what people thought of me, but it did make having any dealings with others very strained, if not impossible. Despite the fact that I had had my shunning removed, I knew that my situation had not improved in their eyes. I saved their sorry asses, and they hate me for me. That's my life, simplified.

We eventually made it into Fountain Square, and I was grateful to find an empty bench near the fountain. It was in a nice sunny spot; I wanted to curl up like a cat and sleep in the sun. Ivy sat down next to me after she had gently lowered me to the bench; I slumped up against her for support. I felt her tense for a moment before relaxing, as if she was still worried what my actions really meant. _Is she still hung up on me, despite our talk?_ I pondered it for a moment, but then shrugged it away. Ivy had done nothing to show that she was still interested in me, which, in some ways, had been a big relief for me.

"Thanks, Ivy, this feels really good," meaning every word I said. Yes, it had caused pain to get here, but it all felt worth it now. Just being outside in the sun felt heavenly, making me feel more like my old self than I had in the past three weeks. Being next to her was also nice, as I could breathe in her scent. I always found Ivy's aroma comforting, as it meant home to me. Suddenly, the thought of scents mixing brought me up short; I pulled my head away from her. "Ivy, I'm so sorry. Are our scents mingling too much for you? I wasn't thinking…" _as usual._

Ivy turned to look at me and smiled. "It's okay, dear heart. It's not bothering me right now; I've had your scent all over me the past few weeks. Leaning up against me is no problem. Anyway, we are outside; the slight breeze is dispersing our scents." With that, she put her arm around, coaxing me to relax again up against her. A slight tremble went through my body with this gesture; this meant a lot to me. Ivy and I rarely touched or hugged due to her sensitive nose; I never wanted to be the cause of frustration due to our comingling scents.

We sat contentedly for who knows how long, just simply enjoying the time in the sun. No words needed to be spoken; if they had, it would have ruined the moment. We could have gone longer if my stomach hadn't decided to rumble; the loud groan put an end to that silence. Ivy pulled away slightly, with a smirk on her face. I chuckled slightly and shrugged my shoulders; my body decided for me that it was time to eat. I hadn't wanted to stop that time together, but I knew we couldn't stay that way forever. Ivy eased her arm from around me and stood, stooping down to help me up.

We made our way over to the Greek restaurant there in the Square, asking for seats outside. While the seats weren't in the sun, they were still outside in the warm air and the cool breeze. We ordered souvlaki with chicken and shrimp, dolmadakia, and spanakopita. I knew I wouldn't eat half of that, but Ivy, with her vampire metabolism, would easily finish what I couldn't. They brought out chamomile tea for us, which I normally wouldn't drink. _When in Rome_ … I did enjoy the taste of it; the tea here never seemed like it came out of a tea bag bought at the grocery store. I'd still prefer a nice coffee, though.

We talked of nothing important during our meal, just enjoying the moment without feeling the need to talk shop. It was heartening to see Ivy so calm and relaxed around me; before we could only really talk if we were in separate rooms in the church. It was also sad that it took Ivy leaving behind her feelings for me to be this, well, friendly with me. _Was I really that bad of a friend?_ I had to wonder if, because I constantly was afraid of her biting me, I pushed her away too much so she felt that she couldn't have normal conversations with me.

"What are you so intently thinking about?" Ivy's voice startled me slightly; I had been so engrossed in my thoughts, that my face apparently had lost its calm demeanor. I tried to smile, but I felt that I failed to disguise my inner turmoil.

"Ivy, I know you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but I am sorry. This time today with you has been wonderful; it just reminded me that it was my fault for constantly pushing you away that we couldn't have this before. I just feel like an ass for what I put you through."

Ivy smiled at my words, feeling the sincerity behind them. She softly put her hand on mine as it lay on the table. "Rachel, first and foremost I have always wanted to be your friend. It doesn't matter how we got here; I'm just glad that we did." I felt a tingle going up my arm from where she placed her hand on mine. I was glad that we had gotten to a point where it wasn't taboo to touch each other. This felt like the perfect moment.

That, of course, is when the proverbial rug got pulled out from under us…

 **To Be Continued**

 **Author's Note** : This is my first attempt at a continuing story line. I appreciate any and all feedback, provided that it is glowing and congratulatory. (j/k) I do read any and all feedback, so please let me know what you think.


	2. Revenge

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 2**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

While enjoying the feel of Ivy's hand on mine, I started noticing that her eyes were going black. _Crap! Crap on toast!_ Apparently I had yet again inadvertently pushed Ivy's buttons too much, and she was vamping out on me. Slowly pulling my hand away, I started to stammer an apology when I finally noticed that Ivy's eyes were not focused on me, but on something over my left shoulder. A blast of pheromones then hit me, as I realized that Ivy was tensing up for a fight, and it wasn't with me for a change.

Turning slightly, as best as I could, I saw the objects of her stare. Three bulky men were making a beeline straight for us, not even bothering to hide their movements. They were all wearing very similar jackets with insignia that I couldn't make out from this distance. _Some kind of gang. By the size of them, I'm guessing Weres._ Sure, they looked a bit intimidating, but there was no way of telling that they were definitely coming at us. _Of course, with my luck..._ I turned to question Ivy about this, but she had already risen from her chair and was moving into a defensive position by me.

Ivy was deceptive in her looks. At first glance, she appeared much like a supermodel: nice long legs, a shapely but tight butt, a stomach to die for, and firm breasts. The fact that her face was gorgeous, with beautiful almond shaped eyes, pouty lips and long, silky black hair just completing the look. You would think that such a perfect specimen of womanhood would be incapable of any kind of violent act. That's where the deception lies. I had seen Ivy tear people apart with her bare hands. She had been training since she was a teenager in various forms of combat, so she knew how to fight, in addition to just being strong. If these Weres weren't expecting a fight, they would be sadly mistaken.

In the time that I had been musing to myself about Ivy's looks ( _where had those thoughts come from?_ ), the lead Were, much bigger than the others, had pulled out a nasty looking knife. And yes, they were definitely Weres, and agitated ones at that; I could smell the scent of pine and fresh earth from here. I was in no condition to fight, but I sure as hell wasn't letting Ivy fight them on her own. I didn't have my splat gun; why would I bring it to a day out relaxing? I went to tap into a ley line, but stopped short when I realized that nothing was happening. _Damn it, the bracelet!_ I had forgotten about the bracelet that prevented me from using ley line energy. Yes, the benefit of being hidden from demons was nice, but I cursed being in a situation that forced me to have to wear it now.

So, here I was, splat gun less, unable to tap a line, and unable to hardly move. There was nothing I could do to help Ivy or defend myself; my best option would be to stay under cover and hide, letting Ivy do the heavy lifting. _Yeah, right._ Looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon, my gaze rested on the steak knives on our table. _Well, it's better than nothing._ Grabbing one, I turned to see Ivy approaching the lead Were at a fast pace.

The fact that Ivy was currently in a more nurturing mood than normal did not slow her responses at all. If anything, she probably perceived the threat as directly against me, so I imagined that she was even more pissed than normal. She easily dodged the clumsy knife thrust from the bigger Were, who had, for some reason, decided that a plaid flannel and a leather jacket went nice together. If she wasn't busy fighting him, Ivy would probably be critiquing his fashion sense. She grabbed a hold of his leather jacket and the arm that was wielding the knife. Despite the fact that he looked to weigh at least twice of what Ivy weighed, she easily picked him up and tossed him a good distance. The Were landed hard in a crowded dining terrace, causing shrieks and yells to come from the patrons there.

The other two Weres hesitated when they saw Ivy easily deal with what I guessed was their Alpha. I could see their nervousness by how they adjusted the grips on their weapons, one a bat and the other what looked to be a lead pipe. Ivy was pretty intimidating in a normal setting; now she was just plain terrifying. The indecision (fear?) on their part was stupid; Ivy had constantly drilled me into not stopping to think during a fight. Ivy's words repeated in my head, _a moment's hesitation could be deadly._ Like that, Ivy was rapidly approaching one. The Were took a swing with the wooden bat he carried, but it was poorly aimed; Ivy had no problem evading the blow. She reached out and grabbed the Were's wrist and twisted; the Were yelped out with obvious pain. Ivy easily took the bat from his loosened grip.

His compatriot had decided to move up behind Ivy as she was fighting and swung his pipe towards the back of Ivy's head. Without even looking, she ducked, and the pipe continued on its journey to solidly connect with the side of his pack member's head. I winced at the crunching sound I heard; I knew that he wasn't waking up anytime soon.

Ivy soon turned her attention to the other Were, who was still looking a bit shocked that he had wounded his pack member. He recovered himself and backed away from Ivy. A clattering sound came from my right, demanding my attention; turning, I saw the Were that Ivy had thrown had gotten up and was busy throwing metal chairs out of his way. By the way he was looking at me, I could guess that I was the lucky target. Gripping my steak knife, I dropped into a fighting stance, grimacing from the pain. _There's no way I am lasting against someone that strong, not with my wound. Just need to keep him busy until Ivy can help._

I moved so that several tables were between us. The Were had rapidly closed the distance between us; he simply grinned and grabbed the first table, the one Ivy and I had been sitting at, and threw it to the side. Violence coming this close was enough to spook the remaining spectators at the restaurant, who fled quickly. Unfortunately, there was no way to blend in with them to disappear; I was moving way too slowly to keep up. "Ivy, could use a hand here!" I didn't dare look to see how she was doing; there was no way I was taking my eyes off of Big and Hairy here.

Still grinning, the Were kept up his advance on me. I could see the patch on his leather jacket: a blood red crescent moon. I would love to say that I knew what that meant immediately, but there are too damn many packs out there for any one person to keep track of. "Shouldn't have stuck your nose where it didn't belong, witch. You and the vamp pissed off the wrong person, and you are going to regret it." With that, he threw the next table to the side, so he could advance closer to me. I had managed to scoot past another table, in hopes that it would slow him down long enough for Ivy to finish her fight and come rescue me.

Unfortunately, the Were got to me first. He quickly threw the last table away, advancing on me. I looked down at my steak knife, regarding it with scorn. _Maybe I could get a lucky shot?_ Before I could even react, he backhanded me, and hard. I flew back into the wall, crying out in pain. _Damn it, that hurt!_ I knew I didn't have the luxury of waiting for the pain to subside; I had to get away from him. I tried to crawl away, but with the agony I was in, there was no way I was going much further. As it was, I felt a trickle of liquid coming from my side, figuring that I had torn my wound open. _Where in the Turn is Ivy?_

As if summoned by magic, Ivy launched herself at the burly Were. I glanced and saw that the other Were was down as well, so it was just the lumberjack here to deal with. Ivy grappled with him; the Were was grunting with the effort. By his face, he knew that he was dealing with someone stronger than he was. He tried to twist, to throw Ivy off balance, but Ivy was too quick for that. She used the moment to sweep his feet out from him and then bent down to punch his nose hard. The Were howled with pain, cradling his nose with his hands.

Ivy quickly considered me, a questioning look on her face. Knowing she was concerned for me, I simply nodded as I leveraged myself to a semi standing position, figuring that she would understand that everything was okay. _Well, I'm sorta okay. If you consider being in excruciating pain and possibly bleeding okay, then I am the gold standard of okayville._ I managed to make way to a chair that was still upright, allowing myself to flop into it with a grace that would be the envy of any royalty. The trickle seemed to have become something steadier, but it didn't seem like a big deal to me. I glanced towards Ivy, but she was too busy looking for any further trouble as well as keeping tabs on the trouble that already made itself known. Satisfied, she headed my way. _God, she's beautiful. She's like a hunting panther, all sleek, silent, and dangerous._ Ivy reached me and noticed that I wasn't saying anything, which is highly unusual of me following a fight.

"Rachel, are you really okay? You seem a little paler than before; were you injured?" I couldn't seem to answer; it felt too hard to try to do anything besides curl up into a ball right now. "Rachel?" I tried to look up at Ivy, but it was getting too dark, and I could barely see her. I wanted to assure her that I was all right, I just needed to get a little sleep right now. I could faintly hear her shouting my name before the world fell away into darkness…

I awoke to an all too familiar beeping that I recognized. Without even opening my eyes, I could tell that I was in a hospital room; the sounds and smells of hospitals are all alike. I cracked my eyes open, immediately regretting the impulse to see around me. The light was too bright! You would think that hospitals would use soft lights to set a soothing mood for patients who are healing, but they instead went with harsh lights that could wake the dead. (The dead wake up at an entirely different place than this.)

Gritting my teeth, I started the process again of slowly opening my eyes, allowing them to acclimatize themselves first before opening them further. Slowly the room came into focus; it was, as I had guessed, your standard hospital room. Actually, no, this one was different than my last room; it was a private room. I hadn't been in a private room since my childhood, when the ravages of Rosewood syndrome were playing havoc on my poor younger self. They hadn't wanted other children seeing how sick I really was, so I got the private room. I can't imagine that, despite my wounds, I was so bad off to need a private room now. So why was I here? _Ivy._

Sure enough, Ivy was in the room with me. She was sleeping in a small reclining chair in the corner, the kind of chair you would never see in a non-private room. _I guess rank does have its privileges_ … I saw a bouquet of flowers at my bedside, a lovely group of tulips, which are my favorite. They were a beautiful red color with yellow edging, quite reminding me of a sunset. I could smell the honey scent that they were giving off; Jenks would probably go mad in this room, looking for the source of that wonderful fragrance.

I hated to wake Ivy up, but, as no one was coming into my room, she would be the source of answers that I needed. "Ivy," I managed to croak, barely above a whisper. Ivy could hear a pin drop from anywhere in the church, so I figured I didn't need to shout, which was good; I couldn't shout at this point even if my life depended on it. Seeing Ivy stir, I knew that my pathetic cry for help had not gone unnoticed.

"Rachel?" _How did she manage to wake up from an uncomfortable seat, have tousled hair, and still look so incredibly breathtaking?_ I'm sure that, with my red hair all frizzy and my pasty skin, I had a future lined up as a circus clown. At least with my too skinny self, I'd easily fit into the clown car…

Ivy hurriedly stood up, moving over to my side. "How are you feeling? Do you need me to get a doctor? I'm so sorry you got hurt again, I should have been more careful with you. I shouldn't have pulled my punches and just taken them out quickly; you wouldn't be here if I hadn't. I…" At this point, I raised my hand to get her to stop. She was babbling; she would only get this way when she felt responsible for something. I knew that, if I didn't shut that down here and now, I would have to deal with morose Ivy, which really wasn't fun in ideal circumstances.

"Water, please." My throat felt like I had been travelling through the Sahara for at least a week; I could berate Ivy after I could use my throat for something besides frog imitations. Ivy looked sheepish, quickly pouring water from a nearby pitcher to a small water glass. ( _Glass! Not plastic, like the cheap rooms get._ ) Gratefully accepting it, I tried my hardest to slowly drink it, but I ended up gulping most of it down fairly fast. Holding out my glass, I managed a "more, please". Ivy obliged, refilling my glass. I decided to nurse this one, just taking a small sip, before turning back to Ivy. I felt that I could talk now, so it was time to get those answers.

"What happened? I remember the fight, the big Were coming after me, then nothing. And don't start with the 'it's all my fault' routine; just give me the basics." I gave her a look that I hoped said that I meant business, but it can be hard to tell if I gave that impression or one that was more drugged unhappiness. The IV running into me was probably delivering a nice strong painkiller, which is why I wasn't in agony right now. It unfortunately was also making me feel loopy, which wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"I was able to take down that Were easily, but, as I was checking up on you, you passed out. It was then that I noticed the blood dripping down your leg; I guessed at the time that your movements caused the wound to reopen. I called emergency services to get an ambulance onsite; I also called Glenn to come down as well. While I was attending to you, two of the Weres managed to get away from the scene, even the one I gave a free nose job to. The one hit in the head is here in the hospital, but the doctors aren't too hopeful for his recovery. Glenn came with the FIB, but it was after the other two had escaped. We have no idea why they attacked us there.

"At any rate, the ambulance got you here. I had to yell and threaten several people to get them to treat you; it seems decency is a rare commodity these days. Finally you were seen; you had opened up the stitching inside, and needed surgery again. They got you patched up. They were going to put you in a shared room, but I…well, I am paying so that you have a private room. I didn't want you in the same room as some bigoted human or witch; I wanted you to have some peace and tranquility as you healed. You've been asleep for a little over a day now."

I felt tears forming in my eyes at the consideration that Ivy had shown me. Yes, I was also a little pissed at her spending money on me, especially as there was no way in hell that I could pay it back anytime soon. I knew that Ivy would neither expect nor want repayment for this, which was a generous thing to do. However, it just rankled on my sense of independence that I couldn't afford these things that I needed. Gulping down my pride, I simply said "Thank you, Ivy. I appreciate it. I appreciate **you**." And I did. Ivy was more there for me than I for her; I was often chagrined by how one sided our friendship was. I kept promising myself that I would make it up to her, but I never seemed to catch up to how much good she was and did for me.

Thinking back on Ivy's answer to me, I remembered the Weres, specifically what the Alpha Were had said to me. "Ivy, those Weres were targeting us. The one that was coming after me? He told me that we had pissed off the wrong person. That we did something to cause this. Any idea what that might have been?"

Understanding seemed to have dawned on Ivy's face, as if she finally found the last puzzle piece and could see what the picture was. "That makes sense now. Rachel, I was going to wait to tell you the news, as I didn't want you stressing out while recovering. However, this bit that the Were told you makes a lot of these separate incidents come together. I really need to call Glenn." With that, she pulled her phone out and was starting to dial out before I could get an edge in, wanting to know about these "incidents".

"Glenn, it's Ivy. Rachel is awake; the Were that attacked her told her that Rachel and I had pissed off the wrong person. Yes, I think so too. Come over, she's in room 221." With that she put her phone away and turned back to me.

"Rachel, we weren't the only ones attacked. They all seemed random until I heard what you just told me. It looks like that this 'wrong person' wasn't targeting just us; they targeted our family and loved ones too."

"Who else was attacked? Was anyone else hurt?" I whispered. I'm not sure I really wanted to know the answers. Fear was gripping my heart; I didn't want anyone to be hurt because of me.

"Erica and Thomas ("her boyfriend of the week", she said to the aside) were set on by several living vampires. Thomas was hurt but will recover; if it wasn't for Erica he would have died his first death. Erica managed to fight them off, slaying two of them. She ensured that they died their second death that night as well. Erica didn't recognize any of them, and the dead ones didn't show on either of IS' records or the FIB's.

"The church was attacked by faeries. Jenks and his brood successfully defended the church; there were only minor injuries there. Jamoke had the worst of it with a torn wing, but Jenks assured me that it will heal soon and with no lasting consequences.

"Someone tried to bomb Trent's house. I'm not sure how they snuck in, but they were caught pretty quickly. Trent insists that the culprit died trying to kill him, that Quen was forced to kill the intruder. I'm not sure that I blame him for not capturing the guy; if someone had tried to kill my child, I would probably be less than forgiving as well.

"Rachel, I…this isn't easy to say now, but I feel you need to hear it. David was attacked when he was out for a run with Serena and Callie. It was more Weres there, possibly ones from the same pack that attacked us. David suffered a bad blow to the head, but is expected to be okay. Serena and Callie jumped to his defense; Serena was pretty badly hurt keeping him safe. She's currently in ICU here; it's a touch and go situation. Callie came out of okay, aside from some minor bruises and cuts. They were lucky; another pack happened on the scene and stopped the attack. We had assumed it was either a rival Were pack or something Focus related…

"I'm so sorry, Rachel, but I don't know how else to say this. I wish that I didn't have to say it. Keasley is dead; he was killed inside his home. We had assumed it was a home invasion, as the house was trashed and it looked like some things had been taken. But with what you have told us, it looks like this was a message being sent; a message for us."

Tears were openly streaming from my face. People were hurt, Keasley was dead because of something we did, something that **I** had done. I bent over, as much as my side would let me, letting my hair cover my face, and sobbed. I would never again see Keasley's smiling face. Serena, fiery Serena, was now fighting for her life. All because of me.

I felt Ivy's head come to rest against my shoulder; I was thankful that she was here now. She always uplifted me by just by her presence. I pulled slightly away from her to see her crying as well. I opened my arms to her; we hugged as best as we could, considering my awkward position. We cried in each other's arms; feeling a closeness beyond that of just a physical embrace. It was an affirmation of being alive, of recognition that we had lost something precious in our lives. It was also a comfort, knowing that we were there for each other, especially now when we needed each other the most.

She was right; I needed to hear this now. While my grief was still new and raw, I knew that it would soon transform into something else: anger. Anger at whoever had decided that our loved ones would be punished for something we did. Someone had declared war on my friends and family; I would find out who and make sure that they would never harm another innocent again.


	3. Reparations

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 3**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison**

I hated being at the hospital yet again. It was horrible being there just two weeks ago, seeing as it brought up so many memories of my childhood. This time, however, there was the looming presence of the threat to all of my family. Yes, I was not related to anyone presently in Cincy, but they felt more like my family that just friends. It strained me to feel trapped here when I should be doing something about this threat, but, as Ivy would constantly remind me, I was in no shape to be of help to anyone right now.

Yes, Ivy stayed with me at almost all times. She was in uber protective mode, coming between any unknown visitor and myself. It was comforting she had my back as she did, as, to be honest, I didn't feel particularly safe here. The only times she would allow herself a break would be if David, Jenks, or Glenn were present to watch over me. I'm glad that she could allow herself to trust them enough to get the rest she needed as well, but I don't think she permitted herself more than a couple of hours of sleep each night.

Glenn was a frequent presence at the hospital. Between interviewing everyone involved, providing a security detail for both Serena and I, and coordinating with the IS, Glenn was quite the busy and important man right now. He would confer quite often with Ivy, in hushed whispers that I could never hear. It bothered me to see them so close, with him gently touching her arm while they talked, but I couldn't say why. Glenn was a good guy, and I was glad that Ivy had found some happiness with him. _Maybe I'm just jealous that she is the one in the relationship with me sitting on the sidelines?_

I was the one usually in a relationship, but I hadn't wanted one since Pierce. Yes, there was that kiss with Trent, which did feel wonderful, but I still hadn't forgiven him for lying to me. He had promised me that the kiss was only in my dream, but there I was, passionately kissing him in front of everyone. I had had enough of guys lying to me, taking advantage of me, so I had decided to just cut all ties with Trent. Let the little cookie maker do without me for a while.

I was trying to be cooperative with the IS liaison, whose name I couldn't bother to learn, just simply for the sake of the Tamwoods. The IS were there to investigate the attacks on Ivy and Erica, being as the Tamwood family were so important to the Inderlander community (well, the vampires, at least) in Cincinnati. As the liaison was a witch, it was very obvious that he'd rather play dentist to a vampire than be there with my ex-shunned self, and the feeling was mutual. I didn't trust anyone from the IS since I left there; I still wasn't sure if they would, at any time, try to start killing me again.

During yet another interview with this damn witch, I heard the voice of Rynn Cormel speaking to someone outside. Rynn Cormel, the ex-president of the United States and current head vampire of Cincinnati, had decided that he was going to visit me here. The IS liaison heard his voice and left my room, undoubtedly going to report to Rynn. Ivy perked up as well, a look of concern passing quickly across her face before settling back to her normal calm demeanor. I really didn't feel like playing the verbal jousting game with Rynn right now, so I decided to fake sleeping. I held my finger to my mouth and mimicked sleeping, which Ivy got right away. I had barely closed my eyes when I heard Rynn sweep into the room.

"My dear Ivy," Rynn greeted her, "I'm so glad to see you hearty and hale. The whole camarilla is abuzz with the attacks, and I had to come here to ensure your wellbeing. And how are you, Ms. …" Rynn stopped, as if just noticing me. I would love to say that my sleep acting skills were irreproachable, but, with my heart hammering as it was, there was no way Rynn could even think that I was asleep. "My apologies, Ivy, I didn't see Ms. Morgan was resting," he spoke in low tones. _Huh? What's he playing at?_ "Is she recovering well enough? Is there anything I can do to help her or, for that matter, you?"

Seeing as my eyes were closed, I couldn't see how Ivy was really reacting to him. She knew I wasn't asleep, and apparently Rynn had decided to go along with the charade. She soon answered him, in low, even tones. "Rachel is doing well. The doctors are not concerned about her recovery; they just want to wait at least 24 hours before releasing her. Dr. Mape was quite insistent on that, and I tend to agree. She had lost quite a bit of blood in the scuffle, but seems to doing better now. "

"Splendid, splendid." Rynn always sounded like your kind old gentlemanlike uncle, but I had seen his eyes blaze with anger; I knew it was all a façade he used in public. "Ivy, I am concerned about two attacks on members of my camarilla. While no longer a newcomer here, it still feels like an assault on my sovereignty. The fact that it happened to two members of the same family is also a little puzzling; does the IS or FIB have any idea why you, or the Tamwood family in general, were targeted?"

 _Interesting._ Apparently Glenn had decided to not share our info with the IS, that it might be all linked to Ivy and I. _Not that I blame him; I'm sure that Inderlander Security is lacking in the sharing department as well._ But do we really want Rynn to know about this? I wish that I could confer with Ivy right now, as I still had issues trusting Rynn, but I was determined to not have a conversation with Rynn. So, naturally, Ivy decided to tell him anyway.

"Yes, the Were that attacked us mentioned that we were going to regret interfering with the wrong person, but we got no further information than that. While I was attending Rachel, the ones that attacked us got away, excepting the one now in ICU here. The FIB and IS are undoubtedly running prints on him, as he is unconscious. None of the other attackers on our family and friends were apprehended. Even the two Vamps that Erica killed have yet to be identified. Unfortunately, in her rage, Erica killed them both twice, so we can't even wait to question them as undead."

"Hmmm." Rynn sounded thoughtful. "That is indeed bothersome. We have been hearing rumors of a new player on the scene, but nothing with which to corroborate. Perhaps we should investigate further…" There was a lengthy pause, which made me want to open my eyes to see what in the Turn they were doing. Just as my patience was almost at an end, Rynn spoke again.

"Ivy, I know that you've been here for a day and a half now; you must be in need of … refreshment? I have brought someone with me that could help you with this." Ivy started to interject, but Rynn quickly override her. "Please, you must keep yourself sharp and strong, if not for your own sake, then for Ms. Morgan's. I will stand watch over her while you take care of your needs."

 _NO! Please Ivy, don't leave me alone with Rynn!_ As if she could hear my thoughts shouting at her, she responded to him, "Thank you; I will take you up on that offer of… refreshment. I am asking David to come in to be with Rachel. Rynn," Ivy interrupted him," this is not a matter of trust. Four of us – David, Jenks, Detective Glenn and myself – promised each other that one of us would always be with Rachel at all times while she is in the hospital. She is in no position to protect herself, so it is our duty, as her friends, to keep her safe. If you wish to stay as well, it is appreciated, but not necessary."

I almost gasped at the temerity Ivy was showing her master, as it were. Rynn was no longer a powerful political figure, but, with his connections in Cincy, he could easily have her hurt or killed for disobedience. I was equally surprised when Rynn agreed to this. "Very well, Ivy, I can appreciate that kind of loyalty. I will take my leave of you then, as there are other pressing matters to attend to. If I do discover anything of interest, I will be sure to have that information passed onto you."

I heard them walking out, their conversation in low enough tones that I couldn't make out what they were saying. Someone else rustled and took the seat where Ivy had been in. I didn't dare crack open my eyes, in case it was someone else I didn't want to speak to, like the IS witch again. Luckily, I was saved by a rough voice I knew well. "It's okay, Rachel, the coast is clear."

I opened my eyes to see David in the chair, dressed in decidedly un-David like casual wear. David always took care to dress professionally when he was out (except during running or other physical activities), so to see him in jeans and a t-shirt was a shock. What saddened me, though, were his eyes: he had dark circles around them, and his eyes looked more tired than I had ever seen on him. _He looks a lot like Ivy did when I first saw her after getting shot…_ Yes, she did have a smile for me then, and even joked, but I could see the hurt and pain in her eyes.

I was hoping that, with David here with me, it meant that Serena was in better shape now, where he could let himself be away from her side. Yes, I was his Alpha, and Were traditions had it that the Alpha male of the pack take care of his Alpha female first, then all others. I didn't begrudge David making sure of Serena's safety and wellbeing first; he cared more for her than he did me, so it felt only natural that she should come first in his actions. _Besides, she's hurt because of me. How can David even be kind to me due to that?_

"Rachel, I may not be able to smell emotions like vampires, but that doesn't mean I can't see the guilt on your face. You didn't do this to Serena. You shouldn't feel that Serena, or any of us, would have been better off if we weren't your friends. Serena is proud of you as her Alpha, as are Callie and I. You've been there for us; you are pack. Now put this nonsense away and tell me how you are doing."

Tears came to my eyes at his words. I didn't deserve them; even though I often helped my friends out of tight situations, I was usually the reason why they were in those situations in the first place. Still, I didn't want David worrying about me as well as Serena, so I needed to put on a brave face. "I'm doing better, provided I am not being target practice." David gave a slight smile at that. "Dr. Mape feels like I can discharged tomorrow, depending on my ability to be mobile today. I am only supposed to take short walks, but I want to see Serena. Maybe you can walk me down there?"

Serena was downstairs several levels in the wing dedicated to Were patients. Apparently she had manage to Were during the fight and had suffered a horrible stab wound in her abdomen. The last I had heard, she was in ICU while still in her Were form. I knew she was in for a long recovery; having done one a couple of weeks ago (and still ongoing), I empathized with her.

David looked a little uncomfortable, despite the simplicity of my request. "Rachel, I am happy to walk you down there, but I am not going anywhere with you until Ivy gets back. If you were gone from your room without her knowing in advance, she would tear this hospital apart looking for you. You know I'm right."

Sighing, I nodded my head. Ivy is very possessive of me, even more so when I am sick or injured. I know she is under a lot of stress, and I really didn't want to add to it from anything stupid I might do. Waiting right now was the best decision I could make. _Even though I really just want to go anyway, I don't want to do anything to hurt Ivy right now. She's been there for me so much recently, the least I could do is be more sensitive to how she feels._

"OK, we can wait. David, how is Serena doing? Has she been able to change back yet?"

David looked a little pensive when he answered. "Not yet. Dr. Stein is hoping soon. They do have her stable enough that she's been moved from ICU to a regular room, but he's concerned for any potential internal damage becoming worse if she changes. He said that he wants to wait at least another 24 hours before any attempts are made; he will re-evaluate then. Serena was surprisingly okay with that; she's been uncommonly sedate for her stay. I'm a little concerned about how she is taking this emotionally; without being able to talk, I have no way to know what state of mind she is in."

Ivy came back in at that moment, looking calmer. _I am glad she is taking care of herself as well_ , I thought, despite the surge of jealousy that I felt. We had tried to achieve a blood balance with each other, as I wanted to be able to provide for the blood needs of Ivy. Unfortunately, both attempts were disastrous, to say the least. It still rankled me that someone else was able to do that for her; it felt like I had failed her.

Knowing Ivy, I need to put on my best pleading face for this. "Ivy, I feel up to a walk, and I would really like to go visit Serena. Is that okay? We can walk David down there and visit briefly before coming back up."

Ivy looked carefully at me, as if trying to see if I had an ulterior motive. Unable to find any reason to deny the request, she nodded. "Five minutes tops. I don't feel like being lectured about your behavior by Dr. Mape yet again." She added on, in a muttering voice, "Like I could stop you from doing whatever you felt like…"

The trip to see Serena was nice but tiring. It was good to see her again, but I could understand David's concerns. It's like the attack took away the fiery Serena I knew, and left instead this seemingly scared, nervous Serena instead. She had been looking intently at the door when we came in, as if she was watching for more attackers. I felt like crying after seeing her in such a state, but I held back my tears until we took our leave of her and David. Once in the elevator, I leaned against Ivy's shoulder and sobbed.

This was the scene when the elevator doors opened onto our floor, and, luckily for us, Dr. Mape happened to be standing there, waiting for the elevator. One look at me and she was all ready to go ballistic on Ivy, when Ivy growled at her. Yes, **growled**. Scowling at Dr. Mape, Ivy succinctly stated, "She's crying from grief, not pain. Let me get her back to her room." Dr. Mape looked a bit startled at Ivy's words and actions, and stepped aside to let us pass.

A short walk that seemed like it lasted an eternity later, I was being resettled into my bed with Ivy's help. I was still bawling. Ivy, sensing my need, climbed into the bed beside me and gently gathered me into her embrace. I clung to her, feeling the weight of all the suffering that I had caused my friends. Ivy simply caressed my hair, letting me get this out of my system. Slowly the tears began to end. I pulled away from Ivy briefly to look into her beautiful, cinnamon colored eyes. "Ivy, why are you so good to me? I've been an awful friend; I can't begin to count how many times I've brought trouble to you through my poor decisions. You must be a glutton for punishment for all the grief I've given you."

Ivy regarded me with solemn eyes, when a single tear slid down her cheek. "Dear heart, while being your friend can be trying at times, you have brought so much joy into my life. I wouldn't ever change anything if it meant giving up your friendship. Please don't think poorly of yourself; all of your friends feel the same way that I do. You have been a blessing and a gift to all of us; we treasure you in our lives."

I quickly buried my head into her shoulder again before she could see the tears starting up again. While it was reassuring that my friends loved me, I very much felt that I had let them down tremendously. I didn't feel like I deserved that love right now, and had to wonder if their love for me was going to hurt them further. I couldn't stand to think that I would cause them further pain just for being my friend.

I could sense that Ivy had started releasing calming pheromones, as my body was beginning to relax. I often hated being manipulated by her in this way, but I couldn't seem to muster the will to complain right now. Ivy resumed caressing my hair, telling me, "Just sleep, Rachel. I'm here for you." She started humming some tune, which was really soothing. I snuggled further into her, appreciating the warmth I felt, both physical and emotional. My eyes felt heavier and heavier…

I awoke the next day by myself, which surprised me. The bed isn't that big, so I thought I would have noticed Ivy getting up, but she must have moved away at some point and settled into the chair. I could tell that my stirring had awoken her as well, as she sat up and smiled at me. _I like it when she smiles. I wish that circumstances in our lives would give her more reasons to smile._ Standing, she stretched, bringing her arms above her head. In doing so, her shirt rose above her belly button, showing off her ruby piercing there. My gaze rested there briefly before I realized I was staring. I looked away, blushing.

When I turned to look back at her, Ivy was studying me intently. She stayed this for longer than was comfortable, and I started blushing again. Yes, again; I'd blush at the drop of a hat, if the hat were sexy enough. Realizing nothing was being said, Ivy shrugged her shoulders and walked to the door. Looking briefly outside, she came back in. "I don't see Dr. Mape, but I will ask the nurses to page the doctor on-call. We should be able to get your release today."

I nodded gratefully at her, thankful that I was finally leaving this place again. I had plans for today, plans that I hadn't shared with Ivy yet. I knew that, as soon as I did, we would have an argument; I really didn't want to have one here. If we are going to argue, it's going to be at home, especially with what this argument was going to be about.

Ivy stepped back into the room. "Dr. Mape is still here; she will be by shortly to sign the release form."

"That's great news; I'll be glad to be home. Say, Ivy," I tried to sound nonchalant, "can we invite Ceri over for dinner tonight? I haven't seen her in ages. If Trent is concerned about security, we can always let Quen come by as well."

Ivy looked confused over this request, and I couldn't blame her. Over the previous two weeks of convalescence at home, I didn't want anyone over. I don't like being sick or hurt, and I sure didn't want anyone seeing me like that. So, for me to all of a sudden ask for company would seem highly suspicious, and I could tell that Ivy was turning this over and over again in her mind. I noticed her eyes narrowing, as she turned and shut my door. I knew I was in for it.

"NO! God, Rachel, you are still really hurt, and you want to involve Ceri in some stupid plan of yours to try and make things better? You won't be able to get better if you keep on taking chances like this. If you don't promise me right here, right now, that you aren't going to try anything rash, I swear that I will tell Dr. Mape that you've been faking getting better. You will be stuck here at my whim!"

"Ivy," talking in a lower tone, "I'm not going to do anything rash. I want to talk to Ceri about healing curses; I hope that I can help myself, and maybe Serena, to get better faster." I reached out for her hand, and she reluctantly placed hers in mine. "Someone is after us, Ivy. We can't investigate if I am stuck at home, healing, and you are stuck there as my bodyguard and nurse." Now for the winning tactic… "You know that we can't rely on the IS or the FIB to find them for us; it has to be us. We're the only ones who get things done."

I hoped my blatant appeal to her pride worked; it was hard to tell, as her face was unreadable right now. After some minutes of consideration, Ivy finally nodded her head. "Rachel, you need to be careful. I will be with you when you ask Ceri about these things; if I deem any of them as too risky, I will say no. Don't try fighting me on this," noting that I was about to interject, "as your wellbeing as a whole is more important to me than a quick fix. I will make sure that Ceri is aware of this as well."

"Okay, okay," I conceded in defeat. I actually expected as much from Ivy, but it was nice to hear the concern in her voice. While she had always been concerned about me, it was refreshing to hear the emotions in her voice; she used to bottle them up until she was ready to explode.

Dr. Mape soon came by with the signed papers and wished me the best, while at the same time asking me to not come back again anytime soon. I had a lot of high profile visitors, including the IS and FIB, and I am sure that they just added more stress to her than her job already did. I was all too happy to get out of her hair, so I leapt out of bed, by which I mean that Ivy was considerate enough to help raise me off the bed and to a standing position. We moved to the bathroom, where I could change to the clothes that Callie had thoughtfully brought by from the church. All I had on under the hospital gown was a pair of panties; Ivy graciously helped me into the sweats first before removing the hospital gown. _At least I only had to flash the girls today_ , I thought morosely. I still felt shivers when Ivy changed my clothes.

The trip home was uneventful. Ceri gladly accepted the invitation, assuring us that she would convince Trent that it would okay for her to come. Thankfully we didn't need to stop for groceries; I learned that Ivy had planned on a lasagna for the night of our trip to the Square, and still had all of the ingredients necessary. All it would take it some prep work and cooking on her part. I was just so glad to be home; the couch looked spectacular compared to the hospital bed. While yes, the private room had been nice, it was still a hospital room.

It was still a few hours before dinner, so I asked Ivy to get me my demonic spell books to peruse. I can't recall ever seeing a healing curse in them, but I figured that I had time to check before I asked Ceri about them. The first one I set to the side; it was written in Latin, which I still couldn't read. _I really need to get a Latin-English dictionary,_ putting it on my mental checklist of things to do. (It's a long list.) I started carefully leafing through the second book; some of these books were so old, I was afraid that they would crumble to dust at any moment. I found a healing curse for plants, but that just seemed odd. Why take smut on your soul for a curse when this could easily be accomplished using earth magic? Shaking my head, I moved on.

Six books later, I confirmed what I had already thought: no healing spells here. I was pretty sure that Ceri, with a thousand years' experience, would have some sort of healing curse available. Looking up, I saw that it was getting closer to dinner time; I just now noticed Ivy making noise in the kitchen. I felt obligated to ask if I could help, but I resigned myself to not asking. Ivy would just turn me down, wanting me to just rest up for the time being. I was tired of resting because I was so tired. I so hoped that Ceri had answers for me, so that I could go back to my normal life. _Well, maybe a little less dangerous than normal…_

I heard the oven door open and close, so the lasagna was in. Ivy quickly appeared in the living room. "Ceri should be here soon, do you want to move to the table in the kitchen?" Ivy was wearing her apron over her jeans and black blouse; it made her look quite the domestic. I smiled at her and nodded my appreciation at her help. A few minutes of shambling had me seated at the kitchen table. Ivy had courteously put down a small pillow on the chair for me; it made the chair slightly less uncomfortable to sit in.

Ivy had taken the time to make salad as well, which I guessed would be served while we waited on the lasagna. She had spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen, apparently, but she still looked radiant. It was kind of disgusting in a way; I would be sweating in here by this point, but she still looked ready to go out at any moment.

Ceri soon arrived with Quen in tow. I was slightly disappointed that Ray didn't come with them, but I can understand wanting to keep your child in the safest location in Cincy. Ceri had plenty of pictures to show us; we oohed and aahed over them. For someone who came from another time, she had fairly quickly adapted to modern day technology. Dinner was soon served, and we took time to simply enjoy each other's company over a good meal.

We had all finished; Ivy was busy washing dishes while the three of us talked, mostly Ceri and myself. Quen was being his usual aloof self, but I suppose that's what good security chiefs do. Deciding it was time to get to the point of this, I quickly stated, "Ceri, I need your help with something."

Ceri didn't look surprised. It looked like that she had been expecting this all along. "Rachel, I owe a great deal to you, and I will help how I can. However, my first responsibility is to Ray now; I can't do anything that will put myself or her into danger."

I felt a little distraught at her thinking that I would ask some dangerous of her. "No, no, Ceri, I wouldn't ask that of you. I want you to think of Ray first. I really just wanted to know if there are any kind of healing curses that could be used to help me get better faster. We need to look into what's happening in the city right now, and I can't be of use if I am laid out on the couch."

A look of relief came over Ceri's face. "There are some, but they aren't cheap, by any means. I can perform them, knowing your current limitations."

"Don't worry about the cost; I will take the smut." I heard Ivy stop washing dishes; she turned to look at me rather pointedly. _Great, here's where the shoe drops_. "If I could cast the spell myself, I would do it; I am glad that you can help me with this."

"Rachel…" Ivy was not sounding happy. I need to convince her of this and quick. The longer she has time to think about it, the more reasons she will come up with that it's not a good idea.

"Ivy, I knew going in that I would be getting more smut on my soul. And just like before, I am willing to pay that price to protect the people I love. I love that you care so deeply about me that you don't want my aura to be tarnished, but we don't have any options right now."

Ivy looked like she wanted to say something, anything to change this, but nothing was forthcoming. She dropped her gaze in defeat, but folded her arms across her chest, indicating she wasn't happy about it. Accepting her silence as the go ahead, Ceri spoke up. "Pretty much all of the ingredients we need will be in your pantry, I'm sure." She was writing a list down as she spoke. "We do need lizard blood, which we can get at some eclectic shops. Quen and I will go get that, if you will start gathering the rest." With that, they arose from their chairs and headed outside.

Ivy came over and took the list that Ceri had written, heading towards the pantry. She didn't look at me nor did she speak a word. She was obviously upset that I was taking more smut onto me, but I couldn't see any way around it. I really didn't want her angry with me; we had been doing so well recently. We had become closer than we had ever been. I didn't want things to go back to the way they were before.

"Ivy," I spoke as she came out of the pantry, "please don't be mad at me. I can't ask Ceri to take this onto herself; I have no right to do so. I need to be healed, so I need to take this." Ivy sat the ingredients down on the counter and paused there. I noticed that Ivy wasn't showing signs of being angry: no vamped out eyes, no pheromones, no fast breathing, nothing. Instead, only a look of sadness was on her face. "Ivy?"

"Dear heart, I'm not angry. I feel so bad that you have to take so much upon yourself for the sake of your friends. I can understand your reasoning behind this, but it doesn't mean I like the cost. Regardless of how I feel about the matter, it's your decision to make, and I will support you in it."

A rush of warmth spread through my body. I felt the sudden urge to hug her, but my body wasn't particularly being cooperative right now as I struggled to stand. Ivy rushed over to help me, so I took the opportunity to throw my arms around her. I could feel her tense for a moment, but she slowly relaxed into my embrace. _I really love the new Ivy, the one who is not afraid to show a tender side to me._

We stood quietly for a moment, just enjoying the embrace. Ivy disengaged herself, muttering about getting the rest of the ingredients before they came back. I sat back down and watched her work. About ten minutes later, Ceri and Quen had come back with the last ingredient. She quickly got to work at making the potion. Once done, it simply needed to be quickened by my blood before becoming active. Ivy brought me a finger stick, which I immediately used on my left index finger. Slowly massaging out three drops of blood, I let them fall into the potion. I drank the potion down, taking the imbalance onto myself when I felt the pressure start building on me.

Ceri advised me that it would take the potion about a day to fully heal me. In the meantime, I should get plenty of rest, to prevent any interference with the healing process. Ceri and Quen started to leave, but I asked them to stay back a moment longer. _And here comes the last part of my plan, which will start the next war between Ivy and myself._ "Ceri, I need you to relay a message to Trent, if you please. I need his help in removing the bracelet he gave me."


	4. Reception

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 4**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

We bid good night to Ceri and Quen, closing the door behind them. I was rather surprised (and impressed) that Ivy had managed to stay calm while they were still here. I had no expectations that this would last, though. I had seen the anger plainly evident in Ivy's face; she made absolutely no effort to hide it. Ceri and Quen had obviously been uncomfortable; Ceri even gave me a questioning glance before leaving. I knew that I would need to talk to Ivy about this, so I had just shook my head at her. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have surprised Ivy with this; Ivy hated normal surprises, and this was anything but normal.

Ivy didn't immediately start in on me as soon as the door was closed, but she was ready to do so. I really didn't want to stand here uncomfortably while I got yelled at, so I turned to Ivy and asked, "Can you please help me to the living room? We can talk there." _Yeah, judging by her face, it was more to be a lecture._ Ivy tersely nodded, coming close to support me while I walked to the living room. While I probably could make it there myself (eventually), I figured playing on her nurturing side might downplay the severity of the upcoming "talk". Plus, I had to admit, I enjoyed being close to Ivy. Her scent was soothing for me, a reminder of home and family.

We made into the living room, Ivy helping me get settled onto the couch. She waited for me to get comfortable. Looking into her face, I could tell she was waiting to make sure that I was okay before the fireworks began. _Might as well get this over with_ …I nodded my head as I gazed into her eyes.

"WHAT. THE. HELL. RACHEL? What are you thinking? Taking that bracelet off will announce your presence to demon-kind as soon as you use a ley line. Do you really want to alert Al that you are still alive? Do you imagine that he will be so happy to see you that all will be forgiven? Damn it, he will probably drag your witchy ass into the Ever After at his first chance! And that's not even considering the psycho demon bitch!"

She briefly stopped, breathing heavily. I knew that she was waiting to see if I would say something. All I could come up with was "You're right." I kept my gaze on her as she continued.

"Damn straight I'm right! And really, Trent? Like we can trust the cookie maker with anything! You seemed quite happy to kick his ass out of your life after San Francisco; now you want to go groveling to him to ask a favor? Why would you trust him when you would be at his mercy? You are depowered right now; he could do whatever the hell he felt like with you. Or do you think he's okay with you, considering how you left things with him last?"

Trent was definitely not happy with me rejecting him completely, especially so since it was in front of the others there in my hospital room. I was thankful that he saved my life, but I was so not okay with how much a manipulative bastard he was. I felt like I had made the smart decision, for once in my life. Still, I knew Trent would not help me out of the goodness out of his heart, so I was expecting him to ask for something. Ivy was right on the money there, so I nodded, saying, "You're right."

Ivy stared at me for several minutes; it was apparent that she was expecting me to argue back. I couldn't; she was right on all counts. I really shouldn't take off the bracelet. It could create as many problems as it might solve. I could see her anger dissipating as she considered me. I'd like to say that this was all part of my plan, but I really hadn't thought any of this through. I just really didn't feel like arguing with her when I knew she was right. It was so unlike me, it felt weird.

"Rachel," Ivy said as she sat on the couch, facing me, "I know how dedicated you are to your friends, that you would take the danger onto yourself to keep them safe. None of your friends would want this of you. Please don't do this." Her voice had steadily grown quieter, until it became an almost whisper. "I couldn't keep you safe if you do." Her head hung down, her hair covering her face with these last words.

 _She's not angry, she's scared._ I reached out to hold her chin in my hand, slowly raising her head so I could look into her eyes. Tears were building in them; one slipped its way onto her cheek. I gently wiped it off her face, letting my hand cradle her cheek. "Ivy, I'm scared too. I don't want to take this risk. I just can't let fear rule my life here. If something were preventing you from using your vampiric powers and you could remove it so as to help protect me and your family, wouldn't you remove it, regardless of the consequences?"

The distress in her face was still present, but Ivy slowly nodded her head. She leaned her head into my hand, letting her face nuzzle into my palm. She gently kissed my palm before straightening her head back up to look into my eyes. _Wow. Her eyes are like deep pools; you could easily lose yourself there._ My heart was beating so fast right now, it felt like I just ran a marathon. I wasn't sure what to say or do, but my body apparently had other ideas: I let out a huge yawn right then. Embarrassed, I blushed at the temerity of my body to do something so untimely. Ivy looked amused at this, smiling despite the tears she had been shedding moments earlier.

"I guess the potion is starting up. I really feel like sleeping right now, but I don't want you feeling like I am brushing you off. Ivy, I may not act like it a lot, but I do value your opinion. I weigh it when I am making a decision." Another yawn. "And if I don't get to bed soon, I will collapse right here. Is it okay if we pick this up tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, Rachel, I know you need your rest. Let me help you get ready for bed; there is always time later for talking." With that, she helped me to my room, getting me into my night clothes without too much embarrassment on either of our parts. Once tucked, she simply said, "Good night Rachel, sleep well." She turned off the light and closed my door. I was asleep before she even left my room.

Sunlight was streaming into my room as I awoke. Stretching as I got out of bed, I started moving about my room before realizing that I wasn't feeling any pain. I lifted my shirt to look at my wound, but I couldn't find a trace of it. _Wow, that worked fast!_ I felt better than I had for a while. I looked at my clock to see it was already 3:37 in the afternoon, surprised that I had slept that long. It didn't really bother me; I guessed my body needed the sleep.

I grabbed some cleanish clothes, ones that looked and smelled okay ( _yes, I need to do laundry_ ), and headed to my bathroom. A shower felt much in order right now; I felt pretty grungy and the urge to get coffee was actually beaten out by the desire to not smell so bad. After getting cleaned up I could make some coffee. And breakfast. It was like I was starving, but I fairly stuffed myself on lasagna last night. _Maybe the potion revved up my metabolism?_ It didn't matter much; I was feeling like normal for the first time in a month, so I wasn't worried about such little things.

After what felt like the best shower in my life, I got dressed and headed to the kitchen. As always, Ivy had prepped the coffee machine ahead of time, so all that needed to be done was to add the ground coffee and hit the button. Within minutes, the fresh smell of coffee was wafting through the air. Pancakes sounded really good, so I started whipping up the batter. After scooping some batter on the griddle, I grabbed my mug and poured the coffee. I was just taking my first sip when I heard the unmistakable sound of pixie wings entering the kitchen.

"Rachel! You're awake!" Ah Jenks, always the master of observation. I smiled at him, waiting for his eventual joke at my expense. When it wasn't forthcoming, I became a little concerned.

"Jenks? Yes, I'm awake. Why do you sound so surprised?" Based on the color of dust he was giving off, he was clearly agitated.

"Tink's panties, Rache, you've been asleep for over two days. Ivy's been freaking out. She tried waking you yesterday, but nothing was helping. She called Ceri, who assured her that this did occasionally occur, especially in worse wounds, and to just let you be until you wake up. Of course, Ivy doesn't take waiting well when it comes to you." Jenks looked at me rather pointedly then, before continuing. "She left just a couple of hours ago to try talking to witches or some professors at the university, to see if they had any ideas on how to wake you."

Over two days. _I've been asleep for over two days!_ Stunned, I walked over to the kitchen table and flopped down into my chair. "Jenks, did anything happen while I was asleep? Is there another reason Ivy is freaking out, besides it just being me?"

"No, Rache, nothing happened, at least nothing that I was told. Glenn did stop by two days ago, but it happened while we were taking our afternoon naps. I could smell that he had been there; it's the only way I even knew he was there. Wait, are you getting upset about Glenn?"

That same bothering I had felt in the hospital had returned; I must subconsciously be troubled that Ivy is dating Glenn. Feeling my skin flush, I tried to deflect his questioning, as I didn't want to be grilled by my four inch father figure. "No, it's not that. Just thinking of something else." I realized that I had forgotten my pancakes, and rushed to turn them over. They still looked edible, but they wouldn't be winning any awards.

"Okaaay," Jenks replied, looking at me suspiciously,"anyway, I'd best call Ivy to let her know you are awake. You know how much she worries about you." He kept staring at me, as if he was trying to uncover some secret I had. I nodded at him, trying to keep my attention on my breakfast before I completely destroyed it. Jenks shrugged, and flew off to call Ivy. I tried my best to overhear the conversation, but Jenks was talking so low that I couldn't hear unless I were right on top of him.

I shrugged my shoulders; I'd be hearing soon enough from Ivy if there were problems. I needed to call Ceri, to arrange a meeting with Trent, hopefully later today. I needed to plan on how I was going to handle Al; I wanted to be the one to contact him first. If I had the initiative, then I had a better chance of making a deal that better suited for me, than whatever Al would propose. But enough thinking, time for my breakfast.

I was finishing off the last of the pancakes when I heard Ivy's motorcycle coming home. Jenks had apparently made himself scarce after his conversation with Ivy, and I wasn't sure how to take that. _Was Ivy mad?_ I can't imagine that I did anything wrong during my sleep, so I wasn't sure why she might be angry. Ivy came in the door quickly, not bothering to be quiet about it. I decided to just stay sitting for the moment, as I was still unsure about her emotional state quite yet.

Ivy stopped at the doorway to the kitchen, simply staring at me. I could see the fear in her face; she had genuinely been scared for my wellbeing. I sympathized with her; it seemed like that there had been too many health scares for me recently, even more so than normal. I knew she needed comfort, and that was something I could provide.

"Ivy, I'm okay." I stood up, moving towards her slowly. "I'm sorry that what happened scared you, but the potion worked. I'm not feeling any pain, and the wound has healed completely. I'm okay now." I reached out to her, pulling her into a hug. She resisted for a moment, and then crumpled into my arms. I just feel her sobbing at my shoulder. I knew that she was somewhat against using the curse in the first place, so I figured she might be feeling at fault that something seemed to have gone wrong. She needed to let this out, this pain where she felt that she was to blame.

After a few moments, she slightly pulled away from my embrace to look my in the eyes. "Are you sure you are okay? Do we need to call Ceri?"

Smiling at my worrywart of my roommate, I pulled up the hem of my shirt so that she could see the evidence for herself. Ivy crouched down, looking intently at where the wound had been. She lifted her hand but stopped herself from touching me, looking to me first. I nodded my head; she then took her long fingers and gently probed at my side, as if it would magically reappear with her touch. Her fingers glided over my skin, causing a pleasant tingle to spread throughout my body. I inadvertently sighed, causing Ivy to jerk her hand away from me. She stood and turned away from me; blushing, I lowered my shirt back down and resumed sitting.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Ivy had moved over to the sink, placing her hands onto the counter edge to support herself. "We agreed to move on. I am dating Glenn now; why are you acting this way?" Her grip on the counter was tightening; I could see her body tensing further and further.

"Ivy, I…" I didn't know what to say. In just moments, it was like our friendship had gone back to the way it was, where we couldn't be in the same room as each other. I needed to fix this, as apparently I was the cause of the problem, yet again. "Ivy, I'm sorry. My side appears to be really sensitive to touch right now; your… well, caress of it sent tingles throughout my body. I didn't mean anything by it; I don't want to ruin what we have now."

Ivy looked at me; I hoped my face was showing the contrition I felt in my heart. She took a deep breath in; I knew she was testing the area for my feelings. I was honestly surprised at my sigh; I hadn't been expecting that reaction at all. When she turned to regard me, her face had resumed a guarded look that I had seen so many times before. She still seemed conflicted, so I wasn't surprised when she walked out of the kitchen. I heard her bedroom door close, but at least it wasn't slammed. I would give her some space right now; she just needed to work things out on her own. Figuring that I could check in with her later, I decided to give Ceri a call.

I went back to my room and picked up my phone, seeing that there a voicemail present. I listened to Ceri's voice, saying that Trent had reluctantly agreed to see me. She gave me a date, which ended up being tonight at 9pm, so I didn't have to wait too long. I called her number, leaving her a message that I would be there.

There wasn't much for me to do right now, so I figured that I could create some sleepytime splat balls for later use. _It never hurts to be prepared_ , I thought. In the middle of making my potion, Jenks flew in. I'm guessing that he hadn't heard any shouting, so it was safe for him again. "How's Ivy doing?"

"She was upset, but it was more from fear than anything. Her emotions are probably all over the place right now. She's in her room right now; I want to give her some space, to give her the chance to work things out on her own. I figured that I would go see how she was doing after I finish these splat balls."

"Rache, maybe you should just wait until she comes to you? Tink's diaphragm, she's gone through a lot this week; hell, even the past few months haven't been very pretty. She's probably close to breaking." Jenks was agitatedly flying back and forth in the air; trying to keep my eyes on him felt like I was watching a tennis match. Starting to feel a little dizzy, I closed my eyes and turned back to my spelling.

"Jenks, when someone is at their lowest, that's when they need their friends the most. What kind of friend would I be to Ivy if I didn't try to support her now? Besides," I reluctantly added, "I need to ask her to go to Trent's with me tonight."

"TRENT? Why in hell would you be going to that cookie maker? Do you have a death wish?"

"Jenks, I already had this argument with Ivy; I'm not starting a new one with you. I need his help removing the bracelet, so I can access ley lines again. I need that magic to find the ones who attacked all us. I can appreciate your concern for me; it does mean a lot. Now, be quiet," I admonished the pixie, "I don't need any distractions right now; I need to finish this so I can go speak to Ivy." I could tell, even without looking, that Jenks was pissed. He didn't say another word, which was unusual, but I was thankful for it. I was too afraid that I could be talked out of seeing Trent; I knew I needed to, but I really didn't want to face him. I turned to Jenks to apologize, when I heard a "Humph," as Jenks flew outside quickly. _Great, another satisfied customer at Rachel's. Even when I was trying to be more sensitive, I end up being a jerk._

Determined to finish here so I could at least try to make it up to Ivy, I completed the potion, quickening it with three drops of my blood. Then, using a syringe, I carefully injected the potion into the splat balls I had. I had once accidentally let some potion out of the syringe and onto my hand. I had quickly found myself on the floor asleep, being awoken later by a splash of salt water by an amused Ivy. I never heard the end of it from Jenks for at least a week, so I was more than careful now when making these. Satisfied with the ten I had created, I loaded my splat gun. I wanted to have it just in case anything went south tonight. However, my next immediate concern was Ivy.

Walking up to her door, I gently knocked on it. "Ivy?" Waiting but hearing no answer, I turned the doorknob to find it unlocked. I opened the door and let myself in. I found Ivy on her bed, her knees brought up to her face, her forehead resting on them. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, balled up as if she were an armadillo protecting itself. _Protecting herself from me_ , I thought sourly. I softly lowered myself to her side on the bed, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Ivy, you can talk to me. And I mean about anything."

We sat there in silence for several minutes before Ivy sighed and looked up at me. "Rachel, I told you I had moved on, that I couldn't keep holding onto the idea of the two of us together. And I had! It felt freeing, like a weight had been removed from me. I didn't have to guard myself around you so much. I started dating Glenn; he's a good guy and we have things in common, so it was easy to be happy with him.

"Then you got hurt, the shot that placed your life in danger was a wakeup call for me. Waiting there in the hospital caused me to think, bringing back memories of our time together, first as partners, then as friends. Despite all I had done to try to convince myself otherwise, Rachel, I realized that I still love you. I probably always will.

"So, yes, I am feeling your emotions about me again, your willingness to be closer to me. You hug me more, you reach out to hold my hand, and you snuggle up against me. I want this to be a sign that there is something new between us. But I have to know: what do you want? If you tell me that there is nothing else to this, then I will go back to just being your friend. It won't be easy at first, but I will adjust again. Your friendship is important to me."

I was stunned at first, but, looking back I could see all the ways that Ivy had been showing her love for me. _Like normal, I couldn't see the forest for the trees_ …How did I feel? I knew I felt differently about Ivy ever since the talk. Something was growing within me since that goodbye kiss we shared in San Francisco. Ever since we returned home, Ivy had been a different person. She was more open with me and more demonstrative with her affections. We had hugged more in the past two months than we ever had since I've known her. We had grown closer, and I was glad for the physical contact. I enjoyed it. I loved the time we spent together, feeling as if we could genuinely talk for the first time in our friendship. Just her touch would send tingles through me now, when before it would inspire fear or dread.

I still wasn't sure how I would describe my emotions towards Ivy. I knew how I felt about her as a friend and a partner, but did I feel otherwise? _Ivy is good for me; she challenges me in ways that no one else ever has. In a lot of ways, we complement each other more so than any guy I've ever dated. I do love Ivy, but am I IN love with her? I do have feelings, feelings that I think are more than friendly or sisterly. Is that enough?_

Usually I approached relationships like I approached everything in life: by jumping in feet first. I'm not sure that I could do that with Ivy. I'm not sure I would **want** to do that with Ivy. Every other relationship I've had ended disastrously. _Maybe I can try this out slowly, to not only see if it's for me, but to also try a relationship that isn't going full blast…_

"Rachel? Was this too much for you? You look like a deer caught in headlights; it wasn't my intention to scare you. I'm sorry I brought it up, please just forget that I said anything." There was no mistaking the pain in her voice. She sounded miserable, just like so many times in the past. She started pulling away from me, increasing the distance without removing herself from her bed. I knew she believed that I was scared of her, of her overwhelming emotions for me; while I was scared, it wasn't for the reasons she was thinking.

"Ivy, no, I'm sorry." I reached out to take her hand, gently squeezing with my own. "I was caught up in thought. Ivy, I admit that the way you have been over the past two months has been stimulating to me. You've been more demonstrative, you've been more open with your emotions, and you've been more loving. Yes, I find this very… attractive compared to the way our relationship used to be. I want to be closer to you.

"Maybe there is something there. I do have feelings for you and I am willing to explore them, but please understand that this is all new to me. Just talking about this is scaring me to death; I don't want to rush anything and hurt you because of my inability to cope. I have had so many bad relationships, ones that I just jumped into. If this is to be, I want it to start it right. Please just be patient with me. I'm not running away this time; I just need some time. I just want the time to make sure that it's not only good for me, but good for us."

Ivy looked uncertain; it seemed as if hope and fear were waging war across her face. I reached out and softly caressed her cheek. Realizing she needed more reassurance, I decided on a course of action. "Ivy, don't read more of this that what it is." I brought my head down to her and lowered my lips to her own. Her lips were soft; they gently caressed my own. I sighed, this time on purpose. Her lips felt heavenly, encompassing my own in their gentle embrace. She was very tentative at first, which surprised me. I had always assumed that she would enthusiastically participate if I did ever kiss her, but, as I contemplated it, it probably meant she was still afraid of me changing my mind. After a few minutes, I felt her relax into the kiss, becoming more involved. Her tongue peeked out to swipe my lips. I smiled into the kiss, knowing that she was accepting what I was offering. I disengaged myself from her and gave her a broad smile. "Wow. Just as good a kisser as I remember."

Ivy smiled at my words; I could tell my kiss had done wonders to her mood. She reached over to hug me, which I gladly accepted. _This is the Ivy that I love_. It was comforting to be in her embrace, like all the worries of the world melted away. Nothing seemed more important right then and there than just being with Ivy. I felt like I could stay this way forever, but, unfortunately, our happiness, the joy we were both feeling right then, couldn't last. I hated to interrupt this wonderful moment, but I really needed to speak to Ivy about a couple of things.

Pulling back slightly, but keeping her within an embrace, I asked, "Hey, Ivy, Jenks told me that Glenn stopped by yesterday; did he bring any news?" I was hoping that it was work related and not a social visit; while I was still trying to understand my feelings about Ivy, I had come to realize that my feelings toward Glenn and their relationship were a bit on the jealous side.

Ivy's face contorted into one full of pain and distress. "Yes, he did," she responded softly. "He came to tell us of two things related to the case. First, while they couldn't ID the Were in ICU, his jacket had a patch on it that is associated with the Blood Moon Were pack. He also had an identical tattoo, so we know it was definitely that pack. They are going to pick up the leader for questioning, to see if this was pack sanctioned or a rogue element. And he also told me…" At this her voice faltered, as if she couldn't bear to say the next words. "He wanted to personally let me know that someone had broken into the penitentiary and killed Skimmer."

"Oh Ivy." While there was no love lost between myself and Skimmer, I knew she was important to Ivy. Ivy had once thought she was in love with Skimmer, and it's never easy losing someone you felt a connection with. I hugged her again, simply saying, "I'm so sorry." I leaned my forehead against hers, just sharing this moment of sorrow that she had. "Why are we just hearing of this now?"

Tears were coursing down Ivy's face, her reliving this loss once again. "It was so stupid. The warden was so afraid that he would lose his job over someone breaking into the prison and killing her. It took an anonymous tip for the FIB to find out about this. Glenn was kind enough to not just simply call me on this; he felt he should tell me in person."

"Glenn is a good man. Ivy, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I knew Skimmer meant a lot to you at one time. I am here for you, if you want to talk." I couldn't help but think back about my dad; I was so glad that I had my mother at the time. She was there for me; I wanted to be there for Ivy if she needed it.

"While we had grown apart, a small part of me still loved the girl she was in school. I kept hoping that that girl would come back, but Skimmer had moved on." She wiped at the tears she was still shedding. I raised her head by her chin, looking deep into her eyes. I slowly gave her a gentle kiss, determined to show her that she was loved, that she had someone who cared for her right now in her time of loss.

I felt like saying something more, but saying anything good about Skimmer would have been a lie. _Well, that's not completely true._ "Skimmer and I never got along, but I will always be thankful to her for saving your life from Piscary. I think that, in that one moment, she was once again the girl you loved, the one who truly loved you."

A bittersweet smile came to Ivy's face, tears unabashedly falling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Rachel. That means more to me than you know."

We simply held each other for several more minutes. Unfortunately, I was, once again, feeling the time crunch. I felt horrible about the change of topic, but I needed to ask this of her before it got too late. "Ivy, I got a message from Ceri that Trent is willing to see me tonight at 9pm. I really need to do this, but I would really appreciate it if you would come with me. I will feel a whole lot safer if you are there." I'm not sure that a hobbled witch and a vamp would be able to stand up to Trent and his lot, especially Quen, if it came down to it. I could only hope that Trent was being honorable.

Wiping her eyes once more, Ivy quickly nodded to my request. "Of course I'll go. I would have insisted on going anyway. You'll invite Jenks as well?"

"Yep. I am going to go shower. I can talk to him afterwards."

Come 8:30, we were on our way to the Kalamack estate. Jenks had opted not to come with us; Jih was having problems with some pesky raccoons, so he felt the need to help her stop the regular nightly excursions into her garden. We wished them good luck and headed out. We wanted to arrive early; I didn't want to give Trent any excuse to be more of a jackass than he was going to be. I had no illusions that tonight would go smoothly. Trent had tried to kill me multiple times, had lied to my face on numerous occasions, and then was summarily dressed down in my hospital room after that stupid kiss. I really didn't care if he didn't like me; he just had to take the bracelet off.

We got stopped at the security gate, as if they didn't know we were coming. Jonathon was being petty, asking us for our IDs to "ensure that no unsavory types were let into the estate". Yeah, I'm sure he considered me an "unsavory type". As I passed him my ID, I looked him in the eyes and said, "Sit boy. Roll over. Bark!" He stared venomously at me. Considering that his last attempt to kill me ended with him being changed into a dog, he more than earned my taunting. I guess Trent had forgiven him, but I still would have chances like this to take him down a peg.

We were ushered into the estate, being taken directly to Trent's office. _I guess dinner's off the table at this point_ , thinking amusedly. While I had seen the majority of the estate already, this direct route meant that Trent didn't consider this a social call. He wanted to deal with us and then get back to his work, whether that was his Brimstone network or the illegal biodrug laboratory or some other undoubtedly nefarious design.

I will admit that I was being watchful as well. I hadn't crossed Kalamack off of my list of suspects yet; despite the fact that he was "attacked", I wouldn't put it past Trent to fake an attack to throw suspicion off of him. That's another reason why I wanted Ivy with me; she would be able to tell if Trent lied to me about anything.

Entering his office, we found only Quen present. He nodded to Jonathon, who then left, closing the doors behind him. Quen gestured to the chairs in front of Trent's desk; I sat in the one closest to the door. Ivy chose to stand opposite Quen, which was her way of saying that she was protecting me. Quen gave a brief smile at this and nodded.

Trent's voice proceeded him. He walked into the room on his cell phone, speaking a language I couldn't recognize. _I guess that's the best way to ensure I don't eavesdrop_. Trent, as always, was dressed to the nines, wearing slacks, a nice dress shirt, and a comfortable looking sports coat. Yes, he always looked the proper businessman. _If only they knew what businesses he actually ran_. He sat roughly into his chair and continued his conversation for a minute before ending the call. He looked at me for a moment before rumbling out, "Ms. Morgan."

"Trent. You know, you can call me Rachel."

A slight sneer appeared on his face as he considered my words. "I'm afraid not, Ms. Morgan. Use of the familiar name would indicate friendship. We are simply business associates at best."

"Seriously? I thought we had moved on from all of that, when we helped you get your daughter back."

"Mr. Jenks assisted me. Your firm was well compensated for his assistance. Our business dealings then were concluded."

 _Great, he was going to be petty as well_. Sighing, I pushed forward. "Well then, _Mr. Kalamack_ , I came because I need you to take this bracelet off of me."

"Ah, a deal. You wish to procure my services. What are you offering in return? I am almost sure you don't have the money to spare, so I am supposing you have something valuable to trade?" Trent had a smug look on his face, one that I really wanted to knock off his face. Of course, that was my reaction a lot of the times that I dealt with him, so it wasn't anything new.

" _Trent_ , you are the one who shackled me in the first place. I just want to remove what you put on me without my permission." I was starting to get annoyed, my face flushing to red. A small voice was telling me that this wasn't the best way, but I ignored it. _Why the hell can't he ever be reasonable?_

"I shackled you? So, it was nothing more than that? It didn't keep you safe by hiding you from demons? I suppose that my saving your life is also a problem for you?" He had raised his voice, undoubtedly due to my reaction. Of course, being yelled at is a pet peeve of mine, so it wasn't helping the situation.

Starting to really get mad, I retorted, "Yeah, it saved me from demons and you saved my life. I wouldn't have been put in that position if you hadn't been summoning Ku'Sox like an idiot. You got to profiteer off that though; you came out in support of San Francisco by promising to rebuild it, making you look like a hero. What did I get? I got magically neutered! Turn you, Trent, just take the damn thing off of me!"

Ivy stepped forward by my side, obviously concerned by how this was progressing. "Rachel, maybe we should..." I stopped her there; I really wanted to see how Trent would respond. I could almost see the veins popping out on his forehead; I'm not sure I have ever seen him angrier.

"Why should I, Ms. Morgan? You can't pay for my services and any goodwill I had for you went away during the fiasco in the hospital."

With that, I got out of my chair, leaning over the desk towards him. "Damn you, Trent! I didn't ask you to make out with me in front of my friends, especially since you lied to me about it. What kind of person does that? So, yes, you deserved the crap I gave you, and more! You're just too damn stubborn to admit you were wrong!"

Both Ivy and Quen were both looking nervous, undoubtedly wondering if this was going to escalate into more than words. Trent was on the verge of getting out of his seat, and it probably looked like I was ready to jump at him over his desk, which was not far from the truth. I really had a strong desire to shake some sense into him…

Trent took a few minutes and managed to regain his composure. Looking at me, he shook his head. "I committed no wrongdoing to admit to. It is pointless to continue this conversation. I agreed to speak to you for Ceris' sake. I should just order you to get out, but I know you would just keep badgering me until I did something. For Ceri, I will take it off of you, but I never want to see you or hear from you again."

"Fine, Trent. I'll be sure to take you off of my Solstice card list."

"Mock all you want, Ms. Morgan. This also means that you will have no further contact with Lucy or Ray. The future of the elven race depends on them, and I will not have them sullied by being in the presence of a… _demon_." He spat the last word out, with more venom than I had ever heard from him.

"WHAT? Trent, you lowlife scum, you have no right! I am Ray's godmother, you can't bar me from seeing her."

"I have every right. The law sees me as her father. I have already revoked your godmother privileges with Ceri. I cannot forbid her from seeing you, but the children won't leave here without my permission and you are barred from these grounds."

"You lousy sack of crap! I'm going to ensure that you go down, do you hear me? This isn't over, Trent!"

Ignoring my protests, he moved over to my side. Crouching, he brought the arm with the bracelet up to his face, where he proceeded to whisper to it in what sounded like the language he was speaking on the phone. _Elvish?_ When he was finished, the bracelet simply melted away into nothingness. As soon as it had, it felt like my senses were overwhelmed; I was feeling the ley line going under his house, the feeling sending a tingling throughout my body. It was as if blinders had been taken off of me, and I could finally see. I relished the feeling, but remembered to resist the temptation to grab onto the line; I needed to wait until I was prepared to deal with Al.

Trent stood up, dropping my arm as if it were the vilest thing he could imagine. _Probably how he sees me now. How dare he bar me from seeing Ray?_ I was prepared to start the argument up again, when Trent turned to Quen, nodding at him. Trent then walked out of the room, not bothering to say anything to us as he departed. Quen moved to the door, opening it while gesturing for us to exit. I was more than happy to leave the Turn forsaken room, so I stood up and walked out with Ivy. _Damn it, I forgot to ask about the attack!_ I had gotten so riled up by him that all reason went out the window. I just wanted him to do what I asked; nothing else seemed to matter.

We quickly found ourselves outside the estate once again. We climbed into the car and drove off, heading back home. Ivy tentatively smiled at me, saying, "Well, that could have gone better. Were you hoping that getting him ticked off would get him to accede to your wishes?"

"I wasn't hoping for anything beyond getting it off. He just gets under my skin like no one else. I'm still mad at him over that stupid kiss as well. And really, barring me from seeing Ray?" I sighed. _The only reason it got removed was for Ceri's sake. I sure didn't do anything to help my case in there. In fact, I made it worse._ "I guess there was no way that this was going to be civilized; neither of us like each other very much. It just hurts that I won't be able to see Ray anymore."

Ivy nodded, her eyes full of sympathy. "Maybe Ceri will change his mind? I'm sorry Rachel, I know that this must be hurting you."

I simply shrugged my shoulders. I knew going in that Trent would be vindictive, I just didn't think that he would carry it this far. Sighing, I knew that I had to have faith in Ceri; she wouldn't let this go so easily. Ceri and I were friends; friends fight for each other. That's why I went to see Trent in the first place. "Thanks, Ivy. I just need to trust that Ceri will do what she can. I wish it hadn't come to this, but I had to get the bracelet removed."

We rode the rest of the way home in silence. Ivy had, at one point, reached over with a free hand and entwined it in mine; this show of support was what I needed. Once home, Ivy quickly took my hand again in hers after we had exited the car. I smiled shyly at her; despite her occasional protests to the difference, Ivy was really good at being an emotional support. As we came into the church, Jenks saw us holding hands; he had a huge smile on his face. He didn't tease us about it, which was surprising; I guessed that he realized that this was new for us, and didn't want to cause us any awkwardness. I would often forget that he could be wiser than we ever give him credit for.

Jenks reported a successful foray against the raccoons, miming how he easily defeated a score of them by himself. We smile and laughed at his rendition of the fight. We decided on pizza for dinner; I offered to make it. Ivy had done so much cooking for me while I was recovering; this was my chance to show some appreciation to her for this. Plus, I wanted a chance to think while I was busy making dough; I really needed to come up with a plan for my confrontation with Al. While I was deep in thought and hands deep in dough, Ivy came into the kitchen and sat at her computer. _Nothing like a sex goddess to distract you from thinking_ … Openly staring at her for a moment ( _ok, ogling_ ), I thought back on our earlier kisses, bringing shivers to my body. I noticed Ivy glancing up, her eyebrow raised. I smiled at her, undoubtedly blushing. She smiled back and returned to her computer.

 _Back to my plan, of which there is none_. I had to give Al something he would want, but what could I have or get that he would need?

 **TBC**

 **Author's Note** : The chapters are getting longer and longer. I have an idea of how I want them to start and finish; I just want to express the details so as to make the story better. Speaking of which: how are the details? I've tried to flesh the story out more for this chapter; is it better? Worse?

As for the story itself: yes, it will pick up. In fact, the story is starting full swing next chapter; I just needed to get all the players where I wanted them. (Mostly Rachel needed to be back in the game.)


	5. Remand

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 5**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

 _The next morning_

I awoke to the delicious aroma of coffee wafting throughout the church. Ivy's awake. I still couldn't believe what I had done yesterday. I didn't regret it; it just seemed so out of the norm for me that it was shocking. Still, I had to admit that the prospect of seeing Ivy this morning caused my heart to skip a beat. I got up and threw on a pair of pajama bottoms; I didn't feel quite that comfortable to be walking around in just a t-shirt and panties. _Not that she hadn't already seen me in those already, and more…_ A delicious shiver went up my spine with those thoughts.

Bathroom first, then coffee. I took care of my business and stopped to brush my teeth. I knew that I had serious morning breath and I wanted to take care of that before… _Before what? Before you wander into the kitchen and give her that 'come hither' look? Before you grab her and kiss her senseless, leaving her gasping?_ While the thought wasn't unpleasant, I did anticipate the possibility of a kiss this morning.

I headed towards the kitchen, the promise of fresh coffee driving me on. As usual, Ivy had her laptop open, undoubtedly reading her email. The vampire got more messages than anyone I had ever meet. A sudden impulse struck me: I leaned down to kiss her cheek while saying "Good morning." Before I could react, I found myself in Ivy's lap, her face inches away from me. "Good morning", she said in that husky, sultry voice of her. If I could imagine what a voice would feel like, Ivy's always felt like grey silk, caressing you in its soft, delicious way.

"Hi." _Yes, Rachel, way to impress her with your witty repartee._ All I could think about were her lips, so soft and delectable; her eyes, so brown and full of love and desire; and her hair, so silky black that it looked like liquid night. I reached out to stroke her hair, feeling its silky texture in my hands. It was as soft as I remembered, those few times before that I enjoyed wrapping my hands in it. Her lips were right there; I'd like to say that I had the strength to resist them, but I was quickly wrapping my own around hers, kissing her as if my life depended on it.

At the time, the kiss yesterday felt great. This was spectacular. I couldn't get enough of how soft, how **feminine** her lips felt. I had never imagined kissing a girl would feel so sensual, so full of passion. She again swiped my lips with her tongue; this time I opened my mouth to allow her entrance. Emboldened by my choice, she quickly ran her tongue along the inside of my mouth, before entangling mine with hers. The kiss seemed to stretch out for eternity; this felt like a perfect moment in time. Unfortunately, my need to breath soon took ahold of me; I had to end this wonderful feeling.

Breaking away from her, I gasped for air, not only from being out of breath, but from the feelings this had aroused in me. I looked into her eyes to see that they had mostly gone to black. I wasn't scared; I knew the depth of Ivy's feelings for me, and this was just one way that she expressed them. I leaned back in and gave her a gentle kiss before moving my head to her shoulders, nuzzling and lightly kissing her neck. Ivy let out her own gasp then; suddenly I remember the lesson in Rynn Cormel's dating guide for vampires, in which it discussed how sensitive the neck was for vampires, how much a turn on it could be. Without thinking ( _again_ ), I had set off Ivy.

"I'm so sorry, Ivy. It just felt so natural to snuggle up to you that way. I wasn't thinking, as usual." I was so afraid that I had done something horrible to her again. I didn't want to hurt her, like I had done so many times in the past. I whispered, "Please don't be mad at me."

Ivy looked at me, a smile on her face. "It's okay, dear heart. You just surprised me, that's all. I wasn't expecting something so, well…so sensual from you quite yet. I don't mind that you did it, I was just unprepared for it." She brought up her left hand to cup my cheek. "Rachel, I know that you are working through a lot of emotions; I can smell them rolling off of you. The fact that you are actively trying for a relationship with me means a lot. We're both going to make mistakes; that's how dating goes. I just see no need to get worked up about them."

I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her warmth and love in that embrace. _I am lucky. Not many people would be as forgiving of me for my many hang-ups._ I disengaged myself from her, smiling back at her. "Ivy, I would love to continue this wonderful conversation later, but if I don't get some coffee soon, someone is going to get hurt."

Laughing, Ivy lifted me from her lap, setting me on my feet. As I started to walk away, Ivy quickly slapped my butt. I turned around in indignation. "Hey, Tamwood, hands off the merchandise!" I couldn't help but smile at this while trying so hard for consternation; the fact that Ivy was laughing at the expression on my face wasn't helping. Sighing, I started to turn around again before I thought best of it. I looked at her sternly while slowly backing away from her. She put on an innocent face, which I did laugh at. _She's never been this playful before. It's good to see her so happy. It is heartwarming to know that I am the reason for it._

I pulled down a Vampiric Charms mug, quickly pouring myself some coffee. The first sip was always the best; it sent a wonderful warmth throughout my body. I took my coffee to the table, determined to enjoy this before the rest of the day intruded. Of course, just at that moment, Ivy's cell rang.

"It's Glenn." She then answered the phone, speaking softly but still hearable. "Hey. Yes. Really? Yes, we can be down there shortly." Hang up the phone, she informed me, "FIB picked up the leader of Blood Moon pack. You'll never guess what he has." I shrugged my shoulders, still trying to enjoy my coffee. "A broken nose." That got my attention. I quickly stood as she got out of her chair. "Glenn invited us down to the station for the interview. He can be brought up on charges if we can identify him."

Quickly downing the last of my coffee, I nodded to her. "Let me get ready and we can go."

The trip down to the station was too quick for my tastes. Ivy had insisted on using her bike, as she didn't want to waste any time. As always, every time I rode with Ivy on her bike, I had a great desire to kiss the earth once I was safely standing on it again. Ivy really wasn't a bad driver, she could just terrify me with the speed she would go. Her vamp senses and reflexes allowed her to go at higher speeds than humans could safely drive; my poor senses just couldn't cope with the quickly bypassing scenery.

The FIB building was a medium sized building, one of the older ones still present in Cincinnati. As contrasted, the IS building was shiny and still fairly new. In all fairness, the IS is better funded than the FIB, so it had a larger staff. Ivy and I never really looked down on the FIB for this; at most we had a disdain for any government official, whether it be IS or FIB. Only Glenn and his father, Captain Edden, were the sole exceptions to this; they had proven themselves to us time and again. As we were walking up to the building, Glenn came out to meet us. Nodding to us without speaking a word, he quickly handed us two visitor passes; I guess he was feeling pressed for time as well. Usually Glenn would take the time to exchange pleasantries with us; he seemed a bit stand offish right now. Shrugging, I just followed him and Ivy back to the interview rooms. We walked into the observation room, one side completely covered with a one way mirror, looking into the other room with its sole occupant.

The man was tall, but not overly so. He was wearing what I would consider basic biker gear: leather pants, t-shirt, some kind of boots. _Of course, I am wearing the same thing, so I shouldn't really judge on that._ His face looked fairly non-descript, excepting the patch over the nose. No one would ever accuse him of being handsome. It was his hair that really sealed the deal with me; you didn't see many people nowadays with purple mohawks. "Yep, that's him, all right. I'd recognize that hair anywhere."

"Ivy? The same for you?" Glenn's voice sounded a little strained when speaking to Ivy. I shook my head, intent of listening.

"Yes. The hair does stick out. I also can make out that small scar by his left ear; I had seen that when fighting him. I'd also recognize my handy work anywhere." The corners of her lips curled up at that; I had to smirk at that.

"Well, his name is Herbert Walker. He…"

I couldn't contain my laughter. "Really? Herbert? Oh my Goddess, Glenn, you can't be serious. I almost feel sorry for him about that. " Even Ivy was having a good chuckle at this.

Glenn gave a slight smile to that; it was like he was torn between feeling friendly and wanting to stay distant. The smile quickly faded from his face as he set himself to being serious again. "Yes, Herbert. He insists we call him Hawk. Anyway, Herbert," bringing yet another giggle from me, "claims that he got the broken nose in a bar fight. Says he won't say anything more until he gets his attorney. It was a pretty run-down area of the Hollows where we picked him up, so I didn't expect anything more than a public defender, which we offered to call. He declined that, which seems a little suspicious."

Ivy moved forward, looking intently at Herbert (I managed to stifle the giggle this time). "That is odd. Did he mention who his lawyer was?" Glenn shook his head. "How does he expect us to contact his lawyer if he won't tell us the name? Maybe we can reason with him; would it be okay if we talk to him?"

Glenn hesitated for a moment then nodded. "I expected that you would want to talk to him, so I arranged for you to be hired on as consultants for this investigation. I can guarantee your normal rates; we can talk more later about additional fees if needed."

Ivy waved his talk of money away, which I whole heartedly agreed with. "Glenn, both Rachel and I are more interested in finding out who targeted our family and friends than in getting paid for it. Being a consultant will help with that, so we will take that part of the job."

"Understandable. This is my whole focus right now as well; the FIB is very interested in why someone decided to attack all of you on the same day. That is much too organized for your standard criminals; we want to stop this before it has the chance to get worse. Come on, let's go talk to Herbert."

We walked out of the room, Glenn leading the way. It wasn't until now that I noticed that Glenn wasn't being as close to Ivy as normal; it was like he was actively avoiding her. _What happened there? Did he somehow find out about us? How?_ I didn't have time to think this through, as we were being ushered into the interview room.

The Were sneered at Glenn walked through the door. His expression changed when he saw me, his eyes going wide. When Ivy walked through the door, an angry "You!" erupted from his lips; he jumped out of his seat, heading towards Ivy. Before Glenn or I could even react, Ivy had him pinned against the wall by his throat, his feet dangling above the ground. Normally, this would quite the sight to see: a svelte young woman easily lifting a musclebound idiot. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to enjoy it, we really needed to talk to him.

"Ivy, please let him go." I reached out a hand to her arm, gently touching her. "Ivy, we need to talk to him; he can't talk to us if he is hurt." While it might have sounded like I was talking to a child, I was really just using a low and even tone in my voice for Ivy to hear. Ivy always responded well to me in these situations; I was glad that I could still reach her. She turned to look at me, the conflict in her eyes telling me that she was listening. Slowly, she lowered the Were back down. The Were collapsed to the floor, obviously a bit cowed by the fierceness that Is Ivy. Ivy formed a small smile, moving back to stand against the far wall. I turned to address the cowering Were at my feet.

"Listen, idiot. Hopefully there's more than just muscle inside of that thick skull of yours. Taking on a vamp is just plain stupid. Try being a little smarter now, okay? We need to ask you questions; it's in your best interest to just answer quickly and truthfully. Got that, Herbert?"

The Were struggled to take his chair back. As he managed to right himself, he croaked out, "It's Hawk."

"Sure thing, Herbert, whatever you say. You going to be cooperative?"

Despite the fact that he was just manhandled by a vamp, he had the temerity to stare daggers at me. "I got nothing to say to you or your vamp girlfriend. You have no right to hold me here. I want my lawyer now." I was about to start in on him again, having saved all of my choice insults for round two, when a knock came from the door. Looking to Glenn found me no answers; it was apparent he had no idea what was happening either. Shrugging his shoulders, Glenn strode to the door, opening to whomever was outside. What looked to be the new receptionist ( _Carol? Karen?_ ) stood at the door with another female, this one dressed in a very expensive looking business suit with skirt and what appeared to be a silk blouse.

"I'm sorry, Detective Glenn, but she insisted on coming back to see you at once. This is…"

"I'm Gwendolyn Davidson, attorney for Mr. Walker. I stopped by the courthouse to see what charges had been leveled against Mr. Walker, when, to my surprise, none had been filed. So, I am here to escort him off the premises."

 _NO! She was not taking our only lead away!_ "Wait a minute, this guy attacked us in broad daylight in front of witnesses. He hurt me! He can't be allowed to walk free from that!"

"Ah, Ms. Morgan. Ms. Tamwood. Have you recently been deputized by the FIB?"

Glenn jumped in at this point, trying to head off any further outbursts from me, undoubtedly. "Ms. Morgan and Ms. Tamwood are here in their capacity as consultants of the FIB. They have full authority here."

"Come now, Detective Glenn, we both know that consultants aren't allowed to interrogate anyone. Their presence here is a gross violation of my client's rights. We will consider if any legal action should come from these circumstances, but, for the meantime, I insist that you allow Mr. Walker to walk out of here with me."

Ivy came over to my side, grabbing a hold of my arm. I glanced at her; she was shaking her head. _Great. Our one lead has to go because of technicalities._ I reluctantly nodded at her, relaxing my body. I turned to glare at Herbert, who was happier than scum like him should be. He rather gleefully walked past, putting an effort to smile broadly to each one of us as he passed us. I really felt like hitting him, but Ivy's hand tightened again on my arm. Sigh. She knows me too well…

As the Were and attorney were walking away, Glenn suddenly blurted out, "Ms. Davidson! A quick question, if you don't mind?" Ms. Davidson turned, nodding her head at Glenn. "I am familiar with almost all of the lawyers working in the Cincinnati area, but I don't recall your name ever being mentioned. Where exactly are you from?"

A faint smile crossed her lips. "Good day, Detective." She turned once more, following our one suspect out of the office.

"What in the Turn do we do now?" I was livid with rage. "Our only lead on anything that's been happening is walking out the door right now, and there's nothing we can do about it. Glenn, please tell me that you got something out of him before we got here."

"Besides wanting to be called Hawk? Nothing. He clammed up; I suspect that he was expecting Ms. Davidson to come." Glenn chewed on his lower lip, deep in thought. "I am more interested in Ms. Davidson now. If she is from out of town, why is she here? And why defend a low life thug, who probably can't afford her fees?"

Ivy moved forward to stand beside him. _He just tensed up; why?_ "Glenn, is it possible to see if any of the other FIB branches have any records or documents that might mention her or be about her? If she is a big to do lawyer, I would imagine that she has to be on the FIB's radar, even if just as a defending lawyer for someone. Even if she is not the biggest lawyer, there should be something."

Glenn nodded slowly, carefully avoiding eye contact with Ivy. "We can make some inquiries. Might take a few days to get back anything; as a rule the FIB doesn't keep track of lawyers, unless they are linked to known criminals. We will also put a man on Walker, to see what he does now that he's free."

I was interested in why Glenn seemed to be avoiding Ivy. There was a time and place to ask, but this wasn't it. Nodding my head, I said, "Thanks Glenn. Please let us know if you find anything out. I'm starving; I'm going to take Ivy to the Hometown Diner for pancakes. Do you want to join us?" _Yes, I was fishing; I wanted to see his reaction to this._

Ivy looked at me in a very disapproving manner. It was obvious that she didn't think that this was a good idea, but had enough decency to not say it out loud while Glenn was present. She brought her gaze to Glenn with what seemed to be hesitation and fear. _She must know why he is acting this way, and it bothers her._ Glenn shook his head slowly at me, still avoiding Ivy's gaze. "I have a ton of paperwork to catch up on. Plus I want to start the process of bringing charges against Mr. Walker; I will need statements from both of you, but that can wait for now. Raincheck?"

 _Yeah, the old paperwork excuse._ While I didn't doubt that Glenn probably did have paperwork to do, I knew he was just using this as a flimsy reason to not be near Ivy. Something must have happened, but it was just in the past two days. He had been close to her at the hospital, and he was comfortable enough to bring the bad news to Ivy two days ago. _This will wait until I can speak to Ivy alone._ "Sure thing, Glenn. You are always welcome to join us whenever you want."

He quietly excused himself from, heading down the hallway to his small, cramped office. I looked to Ivy, who had that guarded look on her face. I sighed, seeing that getting any information may be impossible. Still, I wanted to try, as I felt the need to know if Ivy needed help or support of any kind. "Pancakes?" I got a big grin on my face; Hometown Diner was the first place we had lunch together, and we both loved their pancakes. If anything could get Ivy in a good mood, it would be the heaven that pancakes covered in maple syrup would bring.

We were seated at the diner, having given our order to the bored waitress. Yes, the service sucked here, but the food more than made up for it. Ivy got her normal orange juice; I just stuck with water. The pancakes were bad enough for my thighs, I didn't need any sugary drinks to add to it. It stank that I would have to watch my diet and exercise regularly to stay in trim shape, while Ivy could eat any and everything and still stay that slim. _Stupid vampire metabolism…_ Shaking my head at my thoughts diverging from where I wanted them, I looked again to Ivy. Ivy who was calmly looking at me, as if she knew what was coming. _Now to start the interrogation._

"Ivy, what's up with you and Glenn? Both of you were acting as if there was a bomb in the room, and any movement towards each other would set it off. He was avoiding looking at you and being close to you, when just two days ago, he was being supportive to you when you needed it. What happened?"

Ivy sighed then, a look of resignation on her face. She paused for a moment, as if she was trying to make up her mind. "The night we went to Trent's? That same day when you kissed me for the first time? I went to see Glenn after you had gone to bed. I had to. You told me, in not so many words, that you wanted a relationship with me. This is what I always wanted, what I always dreamed of. I love you, Rachel. How could I not try to have a relationship with you when you were willing to try?

"So, yes, I went to see Glenn. I had to tell him that I needed to move on. I tried to be gentle, as he has been a good partner, a good boyfriend. While I never felt serious with him, I think that he was always hoping for more. I'm afraid he didn't take it too well. He didn't yell, he wasn't violent, he just looked so depressed. It broke my heart in some ways to see him like that. He asked why now."

I could see the distress that these memories were causing Ivy, so I reached over the table to take her hand in mine. She gave a brief smile while squeezing my hand. "Rachel, I didn't want to tell him about you, so I chose not to. He was going to distance himself from me, and I didn't want him to do the same to you. Yes, I will tell him in time, but I just wanted to give us the chance to discover this for ourselves before telling anyone else. Probably just being possessive, but I want you to myself right now. Are you…are you okay with this?"

A look of fear crossed her face quickly before she reigned her emotions in. I had emotionally pulled away from her so many times that she started to expect the rejection. It saddened me that she still felt like I would reject her at any moment, despite my confession of feelings for her. While the relationship was still new, it felt like it wouldn't be a fling or an experiment. I was feeling love for her, and she shouldn't be feeling this fear about it. I wanted her to have joy in this, as much as I was feeling.

"Ivy, I'm okay with that. I understand the desire to have this to ourselves; a lot of my past relationships were just public so fast, that it felt like there was no privacy about it. Yes, I want you to myself as well. We can make this work.

"Ivy, what can I do to assure you that I do want this? What can I say that will help you realize that you are loved, and, more importantly, that you deserve to be loved?" Kisten had once told me that Ivy never felt deserving of love, that she felt too much like a monster to be worthy of happiness. I really didn't want Ivy to be feeling this way. "Ivy, you are a good person who deserves good things. I am so sorry for all the times that I undoubtedly hurt you, and I so wish that I could take them all back. I promise you that I won't hurt you again like that."

Ivy smiled again for me, biting softly on her lip while a tear slowly slid down her cheek. "Rachel, I'm so glad that you opened yourself up to me. Yes, I feel selfish that I want you all to myself right now; I just want to enjoy this without feeling the need for approval from others around us. Dear heart, just the feeling of your hand in mine, "squeezing again my hand, still found in hers," is enough to make me feel loved. We've both been hurt, but we can heal together."

 _Goddess, I have the sappiest girlfriend, but I wouldn't have it any other way._ Smiling both at Ivy and my thoughts, I tightened my grip on her, never wanting to let go. Saying anything right now would ruin what we were both feeling, especially since there was no way I could top Ivy in the romance department. Or in the sexiness department. Or in just about any other department there was. So, naturally, I blurt out, "And here comes the pancakes." _Yep, smooth, Rachel. I'm sure her heart skipped a beat at those poetic words._ Smiling sheepishly, I nodded my head towards the waitress as she brought us pancake-y goodness.

Silence descended on the table while we ate. True to form, Ivy ate all of hers and proceeded to help me finish mine. I didn't begrudge her this; there was no way I was finishing these. The pancakes were huge, dinner plate sized and three of them. If I ate of all of that, there would be no way I was fitting into my leather pants. As it was, I was going to need to go jogging in the morning to make sure I stayed in shape.

Comfortably sated, we sat for a few minutes more, just enjoying each other's company. It was a rarity in our business to find a lot of downtime, so we had learned to enjoy it while we could. Soon after finishing our meal, Ivy had reached over to take my hand in hers; it felt so natural yet so great at the same time. Just her touch sent tingles throughout my body; for a long time I had always said to myself that it was her pheromones at work. I knew better now. It was my heart trying to tell my mind what it already knew: that I found Ivy attractive.

Of course, our peaceful moment was interrupted by the sounds of Ivy's cell phone ringing. I wanted to tell her to just ignore it, but I knew from the face she gave off that it was business. "Glenn?" There was a long pause as Ivy was evidently absorbing the information being provided. "We'll be right there." She hung up and looked to me. "They just found Herbert Walker's body in an alleyway not too far from here. Glenn wants us to swing by the crime scene."

 _He's dead? He was just released from custody a little over two hours ago!_ It made sense, I admitted; Walker probably knew too much, and, as a loose end, had to be tied up. It was just a bit too coincidental for our Ms. Davidson to not be involved, but I'm sure she had an airtight alibi. We quickly paid our bill and made our way out to Ivy's bike.

We soon arrived at a nondescript alleyway, full of trashcans and loose refuse. Normally you might see the occasional homeless person, but none were apparent tonight, for obvious reasons. _Seen one alleyway, you've pretty much seen and smelled them all._ The FIB and IS had both shown up to the scene; it had been cordoned off as they investigated. We made our way up to the police tape, waving to Glenn so he could get us through. He did not look happy, and it wasn't Ivy this time. "What's going on, Glenn?"

"Hey Rachel, Ivy. We had a man, Office Donohue, tailing Herbert Walker as soon as he left the FIB building. Donohue followed him until Walker entered O'Hallahan's just a couple blocks north of here. After an hour waiting, Donohue got a little nervous and decided to enter the bar looking for Walker. He was nowhere inside. Donohue called it in and, within moments, we also got a call reporting a murder. Donohue was closest, so he went to the scene. Caught the perp in the act of savagely mutilating Walker. The perp, another Were, is claiming that it was revenge against a rival pack."

Ivy spoke up. "Seems a little coincidental. Do we know the whereabouts of Ms. Davidson during the past two hours?"

"I have someone back at the office checking into that right now. My guess will be that she was having a very public meeting with people whose validity is beyond reproach. This smells way too set up to be anything but, which also bothers me. Whoever is behind this must know that we won't take this for what it looks like, but doesn't care that we do. They don't expect to be found.

"As for Ms. Davidson, we already got a quick hit on her. Apparently there is a very large file on her at our Columbus branch; they were surprised that we were asking for information on her. She works for a law firm there, Thorpe, Dayton & Pryce. They are a very prestigious law firm, only taking on the highest paying clients. So, how would Walker even begin to afford such a lawyer?" Asking the question that both Ivy and I had started to say. "Well, that's where their other client comes in. It turns out that there is a lot of speculation that Thorpe, Dayton & Pryce also represents Sébastien's interests, who is the Vampire Master of Columbus and a purported mob boss."

"So, why is Davidson even here? What interests would her law firm have in Cincinnati?" I was a bit confused by all of this. Master Vampires were very territorial, so it didn't make sense that she would be here under his orders.

"Rachel, from what our Columbus branch told us, Sébastien has his hand in a lot of illegal ventures. Drug running, prostitution, and the like. What's of special interest to us is that he is also purportedly a major human trafficker." Glenn got a knowing look in his eyes as he conveyed this news.

Ivy started at this, obviously seeing what I was missing. "Those Weres we stopped…Rachel, this may be why they were coming after us. We rescued those girls!" _The girls…_ I had forgotten about them with all that had been going on in my life in the past month. I felt bad that I never even asked Ivy how those girls were, whether they had been able to be reunited with their families again. I made a mental note to ask about this later; I was embarrassed that it had taken this long to remember them.

"So, does this mean that Sébastien is moving into Cincy? Why? We already have a Vampire Master here."

"The same reason why some people with power do anything: to either secure their power or try to gain more. Remember those crime sprees that were occurring a month ago, the ones that are still taxing the FIB's resources? It's more than likely that Sébastien started these to distract the FIB from their real target: human trafficking. The fact that one of his lawyers is present here leads me to believe that Sébastien is making a play for Cincinnati."

"So, the fact that Ivy and I disrupted his plans was why we were attacked? Why Serena was hurt, why Keasley and Skimmer were killed? Because he lost out on selling some girls for money?" I was beyond pissed. It was bad enough that he had kidnapped those girls to be sold off, but the thought that these people attacked us because of their bottom line was repugnant to me. Yes, money was important, in that it paid the bills. Taking someone's life because of it was repulsive and nauseating.

Ivy moved to my side, her hand gently taking my own. "Rachel, this is no consolation to you, but I doubt it was the money. A lot of crime bosses will often send 'messages' to people who have hindered them in some way. It's more about keeping a reputation than in any kind of revenge. He wanted us to know that we were noticed and he wasn't tolerating our interference." Ivy had sensed my growing anger and had moved to calm me. I could already feel her pheromones working to relax me, despite my rage at what had happened. I can't imagine that she was any less outraged by this, but she was being a hell of lot calmer than I was.

That's when I noticed Glenn was watching us carefully. He looked up from our entwined hands to each of our faces. _Crap on toast._ I quickly released Ivy's hand, Ivy looking mortified at Glenn. Ivy started to stutter out an apology, an explanation, something that would never be said. Glenn stopped her with an upheld hand. His face had turned to stone.

"That's all I have for you. If I find something else out, I'll call. Go home, I have work to do." With that, Glenn turned and walked away from us. I looked to Ivy, whose face had a horrified expression on it. She was near tears. I knew I had to get her out of here; she felt bad enough about breaking up with Glenn, but to feel that she betrayed him as well? He would only see that we were together already, and expect that we had been seeing each other while the two of them were still dating. Even if it weren't true, Ivy had to be feeling awful about this.

I grabbed Ivy's hand once again and pulled her away from the crime scene. We moved quickly away from the crime scene to Ivy's bike. I stopped there; there was no way I was letting Ivy drive when she was like this and I had never driven one before. ( _Do you even use driven when it's a bike and not a car? Turn it, I can't even figure out the right terminology, let alone operate one._ ) I turned her to face me; I could see the pain in her face, even when she was trying to hide it. She wasn't looking at me, her face lowered to gaze at the ground.

"Ivy, sweetie, I know you are feeling guilty right now. I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't be feeling; I do want you to know that I am here for you. I know Glenn is upset about this but I also know that, given time, he will listen to what we have to say. We will get a chance to make this right with him."

Ivy looked at me, the guilt in her eyes so overpowering her that she could barely talk. "Rachel, I wronged him. I should have just told him that you had come round. He knew that I still loved you; he would have understood." The tears that had threatening before now came out. My heart was breaking for her; she genuinely was perceiving herself as a monster, as someone who destroyed another's emotional wellbeing. My prior time with Ivy had enforced this feeling with her, without me realizing it. I had been so wrapped up in myself that I never realized what I was forcing her to go through.

"Ivy, please listen. It wasn't an easy choice for you to make. Could you have made a different choice? Yes, but it wasn't necessarily the best choice. Maybe Glenn wouldn't have taken the news from you well. As you said, he was already fairly depressed as it was. We won't ever know for sure what he would have thought or done. We just need to wait to make this up to Glenn when he is ready. Punishing ourselves over this isn't good for anybody." I hated pulling this next card, but I really needed Ivy's head in the game. "Right now we need to be strong for our friends and family. They are depending on us finding who was responsible for the attacks and stopping them."

With those words, Ivy slowly composed herself, bringing that normal guarded look back to her face. She nodded at me, moving over to the bike. I knew that there was no way she still wasn't feeling guilty, but I could work with that later, when we had the luxury of time. Unfortunately, time was working against us.

"Ivy, when we get home, we need to talk to Jenks. Ms. Davidson has to have an office or residence here in Cincy; Jenks should be able to bug it for us. I also want to make a call over to David; I want to see how Serena is doing, but I also need to know if he can find out anything about the Blood Moon pack."

With that, we both mounted the bike, with Ivy in the front and myself grabbing onto her. We had work to do.


	6. Rest

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 6**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG-13**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

One call to David later relieved me that Serena was progressing in her recovery. She had been able to go back to her human form, but was still displaying the same skittishness that she had been when I saw her last. I had seen Ivy go through the same process after being blood raped by Piscary, and I had felt the same after being attacked by Al. _Al. Another to do item that needs to be dealt with._

I believed that Serena was strong enough to overcome this, but I still had a strong desire to just take her in my arms, assuring her that she would be protected. I also wanted her to know that the people responsible would be punished. I had to trust that David and Callie would take care of her in my absence. David assured me that, despite him being at work today, Callie was staying with Serena and would look after her. I asked David to look into the Blood Moon pack, to see if they were local or from outside Cincy. I figured, with his insurance connections, David should be able to find out something about them. David promised me to look into it.

We soon arrived back at the church. It was after midnight, so Jenks and his brood were down for their nightly nap. Knowing I would need to address the Al situation sooner than later, I was determined to stay up tonight, as I wanted to talk to him via the scrying mirror after the sun had risen. I wanted a chance to talk him down before he got the idea to jump here and grab me. Plus, it would give me a chance to talk to Jenks. Not only did we need to get Ms. Davidson bugged, but we needed Jenks to be our go-between with Glenn. I figured that Glenn really didn't want to talk to Ivy or me right now.

 _Poor Ivy._ She always considered herself a loyal friend; it had to be tearing her apart that Glenn felt betrayed by her. She wouldn't even consider that she didn't intend that; Glenn just viewing it as a betrayal was enough to depress her. She had vanished into her room as soon as we got back; I wanted to allow her the chance to work through it herself before I started sticking my nose in. I was really torn; my first impulse was to go in and simply argue with her until she capitulated to me. It was a strong desire to do so, but I was trying to make better decisions, and this felt like one of those times I needed to hold myself back.

Figuring that we might find ourselves soon embroiled in a war with an undead vamp, I decided to start looking through my demon spell books to see if there was anything there that might give me an advantage. Despite Ivy's many insistences to the contrary, I did like to be somewhat prepared: I usually carried multiple different charms and potions with me that might be useful. I determined that labelling them in a Braille shorthand made it easy to find what I was looking for without having to look in the bag itself, which could make all the difference in a fight.

I settled down onto the couch in the living room, figuring that I could at least be comfortable while reading. The first book. _Yep, still Latin._ Sighing, I put that to the side. The second was mostly about plant and animal care, especially about the care of animal familiars. While useful to have, it wasn't what I was looking for right now. The third book had a lot of glamours and illusions in them; unfortunately, the more complex ones would require stronger sacrifices than I was willing to perform. The fourth book was more of a hodgepodge of spells, ranging from hair color changes to pain causing spells. I did find recipes for potions that would grant the ability to see in the darkest of places, and one that granted temporary increases in strength.

The strength potion required ox blood, but it didn't say that it needed to be fresh. I could possibly find that at a meat market; oxen were still present in the surrounding county areas, so I am pretty sure that someone in the area might have some. It also said that the strength was very temporary, leaving the user helpless as a baby within five minutes. _It might be worth it in a pinch; I just won't use it unless I have to._

Soon I heard the buzzing of wings; Jenks must be awake. Sure enough, I soon saw him flying into the living room with me. "Tink's knickers, Rache, what are you still doing up? Can't sleep? Where's Ivy?"

Jenks was a wonderful partner to have, but he could bug you into giving answers even when you didn't necessarily want to give them. It was just easier to tell him all now, to avoid the constant badgering that would come if I didn't. "Hey Jenks. I stayed up to check for any spells that might be helpful during our investigation. Also, right after sunrise, I plan on reaching out to Al through my scrying mirror. I hope…"

"RACHEL!" I was taken back by his vehemence. "Do you really think that's the smartest thing to do right now? Tink's contractual hell, don't you have enough on your plate right now?"

"I get it, Jenks, really I do. If I want to use ley line magic, or twist any curses that I may need, I am going to have to confront Al eventually. I'd rather do it on my terms, when he can't just show up and take me before we have had the chance to talk it through."

"Okay, okay," Jenks capitulated, "just promise me that you'll be careful?" I nodded my head to his request; I really was planning on caution when I started that conversation. "Now, what about Ivy?"

"Ivy is in her room. Please just leave her be right now."

"Dammit, Rache, what did you do now? Can't I leave the two of you alone anytime? I can't keep playing counselor to Ivy, Rache, you really need to stop this crap."

Trying to hold back my anger at the accusations levelled at me, I stared at him and spoke in a low voice. "Jenks, I didn't do anything. She is upset because of…" _How much did I want to tell him? He's going to eventually learn the truth; the last time I held back something from Jenks, he moved out. I should really just tell him._ "Jenks, Ivy and I are, well, together. I guess you could call it dating, but we haven't gone on any dates. I have no clue what you would call us. Are we a couple? I guess so, but we haven't really done couple kinds of things, so I'm not sure…"

"Rachel! You are rambling. I get it. You are girlfriends. I'm guessing that you haven't done the horizontal tango yet." I gasped, feeling myself blush furiously. "Ha! Well, I'm glad that you are together, but that doesn't explain why Ivy is upset."

"Yeah, well, Ivy had to break up with Glenn, you know how she tries to do the right thing. She just didn't tell him that I was the reason for the break up, so, when he saw us holding hands, he put two and two together. Ivy is feeling awful right now; I already talked to her, but I think she needs time alone. Which brings up another thing I wanted to talk to you about.

"Jenks, we believe we have a link to what's been going on: a lawyer here in Cincy by the name of Davidson. She works for a law firm that represents the master vampire of Columbus. We think that he may be making a play here; we just need proof. I wanted to get you involved, so that we could bug her office or residence, wherever she may be staying. It's just that, with what happened between us and Glenn, I think it best we not be the main contacts for him right now. Would you please reach out to Glenn later this morning and find out where she is staying or working?"

"Sure thing, Rache, I'll cover your asses yet again. Damn, a pixie's work is never done around here. Anyway, what should we do about Ivy? We can't let her fester in there by herself."

Nodding my agreement, I gave off a little sigh. _I had to figure out something to help her, just as soon as I figured out how to deal with Al._ "I'm just letting her rest right now; I will talk to her again once I am finished with Al. Don't ask what I am doing there, "interrupting him before he could ask, "I'm still trying to figure out the best way to deal with him. Probably bribery; Al would do anything to restore his rooms and standing in the Ever After."

"Do you need me to be here with you then? I know it's just the mirror, but I can still be here if you want me." I shook my head, thankful for his offer of support. "Okay then. Good luck. I will call Glenn later and let you know what I find out."

"Thanks Jenks!" I called out after him, watching him quickly fly away to the outside once again. I knew that he would be performing sentry duty; I did feel safer, knowing that he was standing guard over us. A four inch pixie might not seem intimidating to most people, but that's because they have never met Jenks. He's just as ferocious as Ivy or I. Putting the spell books to the side, I got up and moved over to the window. The first rays of sunshine were starting to peak over the horizon. I could see the sunlight glinting off the dragonfly-like wings of the horde as they flew about the garden. It would be soon time to call Al.

Al and I have a complicated relationship. The first time we met, he tried to kill me. Then another time he tried dragging me off into the Ever After, which was oh-so-luckily caught on film and posted to the internet. I was still trying to live that down. Lately, though, he has been my teacher. Before my near death experience in San Francisco, I attended a weekly session with him, where he would teach me about demons, their society, and their magic. He wasn't always the most patient teacher, but I've never been the most apt student in any of my classes.

Al was also the one who kept Newt away. Newt, the last of the female demons, who was as powerful as she was unbalanced. Al had promised her to keep me safe, as I was the most recent female demon born and the possible restart of the demon race. Yeah, right. No way would I ever have a child, if they just would become targets for other demons looking for familiars. I was happy with the status quo as it was; unfortunately, I'm sure that it's changed since my "death". Al had a lot riding on me, so my disappearance undoubtedly would have caused him trouble.

Knowing that it was never going to get any better, I moved into the kitchen, standing inside my drawn circle on the floor. I picked up the mirror, cradling it gently in my hands. I tapped the ley line running behind our church; feeling its energy once again in me was very reassuring. I started feeling whole, like I was once again myself. Pushing those thoughts to the side, I started the process of calling to Al.

: _Algaliarept! Drop whatever you are doing and come to the phone._ :

: _Rachel, what do you want? Why are you calling at this ungodly hou…Rachel Mariana Morgan?_ :

: _Surprise, Al!_ :

: _But you're dead! How in the name of the seven hells are you still alive?_ :

: _Al, it's a long story and I can…_ :

Al quickly interrupted me, the anger apparent in his voice. : _It doesn't matter; your ass is mine. Do you know what the hell you did to me, itchy witch? Damn you, you are going on the auction block, to see if I can make up for my losses!_ :

: _Al, chill. I can make it up to you and more. I am willing to resume my lessons again with you under the same agreement we had previously. I can also help with regaining whatever you lost._ :

: _And how do you plan to do that, itchy witch? I lost all my rooms save one. Newt has repeatedly threatened to kill me because of you. What do you think you can offer me to make up for what you caused?_ "

: _I can create tulpas for you._ :

:…:

: _Al, you there?_ :

: _5 tulpas. In addition you will make up all your lessons that you have missed and you will take another mark from me._ :

: _Al, you're joking, right? A good tulpa is worth millions. You could easily buy back all your rooms and more with just one. Plus there's no way in hell I am taking another mark. One tulpa._ :

: _Rachel Mariana Morgan, do you know the pains and tortures I endured after you died? Newt was absolutely livid with me! There is no way that I would do this for less than four tulpas. Fine, you can do without the mark, but you still need to do makeup lessons, to prove to Newt that I am serious about your education._ :

I nodded to myself. If Al was starting to haggle with me, things were looking better. : _Al, I am willing to go up to two tulpas; you know how much effort it is to create just one. I'll have a headache for days. There's no way I can make up lessons right now. You'll just have to settle for the regular weekly lessons. Two tulpas._ :

: _Rachel Marian Morgan, my itchy witch, you are driving me to the wall with this. Fine, three tulpas, all of the profit going directly to me. I will forego the make-up lessons because of my fondness for you. You're bankrupting me, but I am, as always, the gracious tutor._ :

I laughed out loud at his wounded act. He would have a mansion after 3 tulpas. : _OK, Al, three tulpas. I will create the first one for you this Saturday at our regular time. In the meantime, can you guarantee me that I can freely use ley lines without surprise visits?_ :

He grumbled at me somewhat, but I knew it was more for show than anything. I'm sure he was practically drooling over the idea of selling off tulpas. : _Fine, my itchy witch. Go ahead, play with your lines, I will ensure you are left alone. Just expect true lessons to begin again this Saturday. Now, go away, so I can sleep._ :

Hearing the dismissal in his head, I put down the scrying mirror and released the line. I was glad that Al's greedy nature came to the front; I was afraid that my efforts at bribery would come to naught. Al could have been much angrier than he was, and I was glad that I didn't have to deal with that. I released a breath of relief at having gotten passed that. Now I would be able to try out some of those spells I had found, as I could once again twist demon curses. Yes, more smut, but this situation was serious. I needed to be as prepared as possible. _Ivy would be proud of me_.

 _Ivy_. I hadn't seen or heard her come out of her room since we got back. Ivy was too good at self-loathing; undoubtedly she was punishing herself right now. I was hoping that she would come to terms with it on her own, but it looked like she might need some help. In the past, I would always leave her alone during these times, but, due to our newly formed relationship, I really felt the need to be there for her.

Walking softly from the kitchen to her bedroom door, I quietly knocked. I waited to see if there would be a reply; once none seemed to be forthcoming, I gently opened her door. I saw her lying on her bed, facing away from me. "Ivy? You awake?" I whispered, knowing she heard me easily. I probably woke her up with my knock.

"I just want to be alone right now, Rachel." I heard the pain in her voice. The old me would have listened to her and left well enough alone; I didn't want to treat this like old times. I wanted her to know that I was there to support her in good times and in bad. What kind of girlfriend ( _girlfriend!_ ) would I be if I didn't?

"Ivy, I know you are feeling bad for how the situation with Glenn went. You shouldn't punish yourself over this. Glenn will be hurt at first, but he will overcome it. He's always known how you felt about me; I'm sure he will forgive you in time. We just need to give him that time. I asked Jenks to be our go-between for the time being, so we didn't aggravate the situation further. Jenks will let us know when we get an address for Davidson."

Sighing, Ivy turned over to face me, sitting up against her headboard. She looked dismal. "I appreciate it. Rachel, I know you are trying to make me feel better, and I am thankful for that, but I can't accept how poorly I treated Matthew. I should have known better. It's like I couldn't get rid of him fast enough; he deserved better."

I wanted to respond, but I felt at a loss for words. When Ivy had turned, I beheld a goddess. She had changed to her black silk nightie, and I could see more of her creamy skin than usual. I was fascinated, utterly mesmerized by the sight before me. I could feel the tingles in my skin, especially on my demon scar. I didn't notice any pheromones in the air, so this feeling coursing through my body was all me. All the times before I had admired her beauty; this time I was smitten with it. I unconsciously raised my hand to my neck, rubbing on the scar. Fire flowed throughout my body.

"Rachel…" Ivy growled. "Stop it."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. _Why am I sorry? I had already said that I wanted it all; why should I be sorry for enticing her with my blood?_ "Actually, Ivy, I am not sorry. You haven't had blood since the hospital, have you?" A shake from her head indicated I was right. "Then I want you to take from me. I can help with this."

"Rachel, no! I don't want to hurt you. You told me before, never again. I am not taking your blood."

"Yes, I did, but I want you to do so now. I want this, Ivy. Please let me help you."

"Rachel, I almost killed you before. I can't do this; please don't ask this of me."

"Damn it, Ivy! Stop being stubborn! Yes, I said never again. I've changed my mind, which, according to you, I do often. I'm not just in love with Ivy the woman, but every part of you. Will I still freak out about being bound? Probably; you know I value my independence. However, that isn't an issue anymore. Do you know why? It's because I trust you."

"You…you do?" Trust was the ultimate desire of any vampire; that realization that the person acknowledged that their life was safe in your hands. The fear in her voice, the hesitance to accept what was in front of her because she was scared it wasn't real, was palpable. I moved over to sit across from her, looking her in her eyes. They had started going black, but that fear was warring with her desire.

"Yes, sweetie, I do. In the time that we have lived together here, I have seen you become more and more in control of her base instincts. I know that I can place my trust in you, more than anyone else I know. So, yes, I do trust you, with my life and my heart."

Tears appeared in Ivy's eyes, one slowly breaking away from her face. I reached over to lightly swipe it away, cupping her cheek in my hand. I moved closer; I put my arms around her, hugging her. She tentatively embraced me. I disengaged myself from the hug. Looking her in the eyes, I tilted my head to the side and back, exposing my throat. "Ivy, I give you this. Please drink of me."

Ivy smelled of the air, apparently still unsure of my feelings. She had nothing to worry about; I was projecting complete and utter acceptance of her. She leaned in closer, her breath drifting across my neck. I shivered despite myself; just the feel of her breath on me was amazing. Still she hesitated. I barely heard the next few words, being as they were barely above a whisper, but I knew that they were important. "I can have this?"

I turned to her, taking her face gently in my hands. "Yes, Ivy. I give this to you. To **us**." I amended, knowing that I wanted this just as much as she did, that this would help us become closer to one another. I placed a soft kiss on her lips, before gently guiding her face to my neck. She quickly latched on me, the sudden piercing pain quickly fading under the tidal wave of pleasure that coursed through me. I wasn't bothered by a lack of "foreplay" as it were; she really needed this. T _here would be plenty of time for seduction later._ I smiled inwardly at the thought.

I soon felt our auras coming together, something I hadn't felt since our time in the kitchen. While I did feel her aura protecting me in the tunnels at Kisten's tomb, that would never compare to what joy I felt when our auras merged into one. I felt her love for me in her aura, but I also saw the anguish she was holding onto. Wanting Ivy to feel my unconditional love for her, I willed my thoughts stronger towards her, hoping that it would help her overcome this torment she was putting herself through. She started sobbing into my neck, withdrawing her fangs. I simply held her close, stroking her hair.

Ivy eventually quieted down, still with her head on my shoulder. Within minutes, I could feel her rhythmic breathing slow down as sleep overcame her. I tried to gently lay her down on her bed, but I was afraid that I was as gentle as an earthquake. Still, I managed to get her tucked into bed without too much mishap. I stood up, ready to leave her alone, when Ivy's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

"Please don't go." Ivy's voice quivered with need, her eyes clearly showing her want to not be alone. I gave what I hoped was a loving smile and moved down next to her. I was still clothed; I wasn't sure if I was ready for anything more and Ivy definitely wasn't in the best place right now. Gathering her in my arms, I pulled her closer to me, allowing her to lay her head against my breast. She molded her body against mine, tightening her grip around me, as if fearful that I would leave her.

I slowly started stroking her silky hair once more, humming a tune that my mother would sing to me while I was sick in the hospital. Often times, only her presence and this bedtime ritual would allow me to sleep peacefully. I frequently had nightmares sleeping there, but her smell and her voice would soothe me such that I could sleep through the night. I could now sympathize more with my mother. This ability to love someone enough to be able to calm their fears and grant them the peace they needed was heartwarming, even when you were concerned for their wellbeing.

Soon enough Ivy was back asleep, still in my arms. It was incredible that she trusted me enough to watch over her when she was morose. I gently placed a kiss on the top of her head, before resting my head on her pillow. My long day was swiftly catching up to me as I yawned. I closed my eyes, thinking I would just rest here for a few moments. Darkness swiftly overcame me as I drifted off to sleep.

My sleep was dreamless; simply being wrapped in Ivy's scent brought a sense of peace and safety to me that I rarely felt. I slowly awoke to the realization that I was being watched. I cracked my eyes opened to see Ivy staring at me, with a tender smile on her face. _She's so beautiful when she smiles._ Ivy carried so much weight on her; smiling was always a rarity that I thoroughly enjoyed it when she did. _I want to be the cause of that smile more often; I want her to feel the joy that she deserves_.

"Morning, dear heart. Sleep well?" Ivy raised her hand to my hair, gently tucking it behind my ear so as to clear my face. Smiling into her touch, I nuzzled into her hand before giving off a most unladylike yawn.

"Sorry." A sheepish grin came to my face, a faint blush bringing color to my cheeks. "Yes, I slept wonderfully. Probably the best night sleep I have had in a while. It felt so right to be here with you, more so than I have ever felt with anyone." Ivy's smiled widened at my words, her eyes blazing with emotion. He gaze felt so intense on me, but I didn't feel scared. I had come to realize that Ivy's eyes were a true indicator of her emotions; I could sense the love and passion behind them. "I hope you slept well. Are you feeling better?"

"I am. Thank you so much for last night, and I don't just mean the blood. The trust and love you gave to me last night? You can't begin to know how much that means to me. I felt such complete acceptance from you when our auras merges; it was overwhelming. You brought so much tenderness and compassion to me when I needed it; I didn't want to be without it last night, so I selfishly asked you to stay. I'm sorry that I took advantage of you last night; it just felt so good to feel so loved."

I was a little upset, but not at what Ivy was saying. What she wasn't saying was that she still didn't feel like she deserved to be happy, that by asking me to stay she took advantage of me. She didn't need to feel this way, but it might take time to overcome this. I knew I was partially to blame for this ( _ok, mostly to blame_ ), as my repeated rejections of her advances probably gave her the impression that I was too good for her, or she not good enough for me. I would need to be patient with her, which, unfortunately, wasn't my strongest suit.

"Ivy, you didn't take advantage of me. I just wanted what was best for you. If you needed me to stay with you last night, which you did, I was more than happy to be there for you. I still am happy to be here for you, and with you. If anything, I am grateful that you are still willing to love me, even after how crappily I treated you over the years." An amused smile came over me. "We're both really screwed up, aren't we?"

A slight chuckle escaped her lips, the smile still present. "I suppose we are. Despite it, I feel stronger when I am with you; I hope you feel the same."

"I do."

She leaned over to brush her lips against mine, light as a feather, before pulling away from me. I couldn't help but show a small pout, as I realized the kiss was already over. She laughed at me, a joyous expression that I enjoyed so thoroughly that I smiled widely. "Am I so pathetic, that my disappointment that you gave such a short kiss is so hilarious?" A fake expression of hurt came on my face. "Fine, don't kiss me then."

A mischievous grin came onto Ivy's face as she leaned in closer. Her breath tickled my ear as she brought her lips closer and closer to my neck. She then whispered, "My poor little witch, am I mistreating you? OK, I will go make coffee then." Pulling back once more, I saw that grin still plastered on her face. She started to stand; I reached out for her, but she nimbly avoided my grasp. _Oh, she's in for it._

She was slipping into her silk robe when I jumped up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Not so fast, Tamwood, you owe me."

A small growl erupted in her throat before she forcibly turned in my arms. Her eyes had a ring of brown still left in them, she had a sexy smile on her lips. She purred in her soft, silky grey voice, "And what do you think that I owe you?"

 _Goddess help me, that voice._ It always sent shivers throughout my body. Before, I had always blamed it on pheromones, but I knew better now. It aroused me, it sent fire into my groin, it brought such a feeling of desire over me. She could have asked for anything from me right then and I would have given it to her happily. My mind felt broken, my ability to speak robbed. I managed one word, in an ever so suave manner. "Kiss." _Yes, thank you, your admiration of my speech is welcomed!_

Ivy simply grinned at my lack of words, taking pity on the shell shocked witch in front of her. She brought her lips to my own, softly caressing her tongue against my lips. I swiftly realized that I was still in a stupor, not responding to her. I closed my eyes, bringing my hands to her face as I turned myself into her embrace.

The feeling of kissing Ivy can't be described. I could use words but it could never hope to match that wondrous sensation of her soft lips and her nimble tongue. Time seemed to stand still; the world disappeared from my mind as I just enjoyed the tenderness and passion I felt from Ivy. No one I had kissed before gave me this feeling, but no one before had ever captured my soul like Ivy did. I knew I loved her, and not just for the way she made me feel. I loved her because of the way I could make her feel, for the thought of bringing joy into her life made me happy.

Our kiss went on forever and ended too soon. We were both gasping for breath, our foreheads resting against each other's. Tears were gathering in my eyes, for I had felt so much of her love and desire for me in her kiss. _I only hope that she felt the same from me_. I pulled away slightly, so I could see her face. The happiness, the joy I saw there was mesmerizing. I quickly re-embraced her, wanting this closeness to never end. I whispered into her ear, "I love you Ivy."

A strong squeeze came from her; I felt her tears hitting my neck and shoulder. "I love you too Rachel," came the whispered reply. "Unfortunately, Jenks is about to knock at the door."

"Are you lunkers awake yet? Damn, how long do you two plan on staying in there?"

Ivy shook her head, obviously irritated with the distraction. "Go away, bug, we'll come out eventually."

"Geez, Ivy, I can tell you want to get back to the lady loving," I could almost hear his eyebrows waggling, as I blushed ferociously, "but you might want to know that Glenn came through for us."

Ivy pulled away from me, ready to give a retort, until she noticed how red I had become. Arching her eyebrow, she grinned widely at my obvious embarrassment. "OK, Jenks, I guess the 'lady loving' will have to wait until later. We are coming out."

 _Unbelievable_! I swatted at her arm, trying to pull myself away from her. She swiftly tightened her grip on me, whispering in my ear, "You are so adorable when you blush. I can't wait to see if it goes further down your body." She gently nipped at my earlobe, causing me to gasp in pleasure. Her words undoubtedly caused me to blush even redder, if that were possible. Pulling away from me, leaving me hanging there all hot and bothered, she nonchalantly closed her robe about her and went to the door. As she opened the door, she turned to me, asking in a sultry voice, "Coming, Rachel?"

Even I could grasp the not-so-subtle innuendo there. _So this is how it's going to be?_ I smiled sweetly at her, walking over to her in what I hoped to be a sensual way. I reached up to her face, pulling it down to mine in a slow, languid kiss. Tearing myself away from her, I whispered, "Not yet, but hopefully soon." I backed away from her, seeing her eyes starting to go black as she struggled with her desire. I smiled again at her, slowly exiting the door. I put a little sway in my walk, feeling her eyes upon me as I moved down the hall. "Jenks! Where are you?"

"In the kitchen, Rache. Anytime today would be great! I only live so long, you know." Jenks had a very exasperated tone in his voice; I wondered how long he waited on us before deciding to knock on the door. I walked into the kitchen, starting up the coffee. Both Ivy and I would need it to function; it was better to talk things over a hot cup. I pulled down two Vampiric Charms mugs for us as I waited for the coffee to brew. Ivy soon came in, sitting at her computer. She powered it up without saying a word. _Hopefully I didn't get her too riled up; she might be mad at me if I did._

As if hearing my thoughts, Ivy looked up at me and smiled. I could tell it was a genuine smile, so I returned it, glad that she took the ribbing well. The coffee had finished, so I poured two cups, bringing one over to Ivy. She smiled gratefully, brushing her fingers against mine as she accepted the cup. Electric current seemed to flow from her to me, sending a wonderful tingling sensation up my arm. I gently caressed her fingers before drawing myself away, sitting in my normal chair. I was glad today was only Thursday; I still had another day with Ivy before heading to the Ever After…

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, Ivy. I spoke with Al; I was able to smooth things over with a hefty bribe. Relax," seeing her tense up at the thought of what I may have bribed him with, "I am going to create some tulpas for him to sell. His desire for greater status in his community allowed him to overlook my absence. I start lessons again this Saturday; no other requirement was made for my return. I'm officially back in business." My triumphant smile felt earned; I had done well in my negotiations, if I say so myself.

Ivy shook her head, obviously concerned. She has never trusted Al, which I really don't blame her for. Al had tried multiple times to kill me, so her protective instincts always emerged when he was brought up. "Rachel, I love that you are such a good person, that you will keep your commitment by going to Al weekly, that you honor these obligations despite how you may feel about them. "A frown came over her face. "I'm just worried that he really isn't over you disappearing and will take it out on you, and I will not be able to do anything to help you. Please promise me you will be cautious, that you won't just assume that he means good."

Her pleading struck me hard. She knew she was asking me to go against my normal instincts, to try to plan for the worst outcome. She knew that I usually assumed the best of people, which is often why I got in trouble, because I didn't see what that person was really like. I looked deep into Ivy's eyes, seeing the apprehension in them. _Relationships require some compromise; I guess I can do this for Ivy_. "I promise I will. Would you please help me prepare for it?"

You'd think that I just asked her to rip my clothes off and drag me to bed, by the way her face lit up. To say she was ecstatic would be an understatement. She gleefully nodded her head, undoubtedly already planning. I was surprised by Jenk's voice, "Damn, get a room you two." He was fluttering nearby, but I had been so caught up in Ivy, that I had forgotten he was there.

Ivy turned to Jenks, her momentary ecstasy dimmed. "We already had one, bug, but you interrupted."

"Tink's little red thong, Ivy, I figured that maybe Glenn's information was more important than getting a piece of ass."

Stepping into this, I tried to soothe things over before an all-out argument started. "Sorry, Jenks. Yes, we are interested in the news from Glenn. We both appreciate you working with him for us; what did he have to say?"

Jenks flew over to the table, settling himself between us. His dust was green colored, indicating that he had at least been mollified by my apology. "Glenn said that they found Ms. Davidson's office just outside the city center, with her staying at a nearby hotel. They have surveillance on her, but she seems to have marked them every time she goes out."

I nodded my head, recognizing the charm that would do just that. "Sounds like a specific security charm, one that alerts you if you are being watched. Davidson is just a human, so I guess she's got a witch on her side. Those things only last a few days max, so someone must be making more for her on a regular basis."

"I'll be sure to pass that onto Glenn; he would find it useful. He is concerned that, because the lunker is aware of the surveillance, that she might be prepared if we try bugging her room. There's no way in hell anyone could catch me, so I think we should be good to bug the room."

Ivy perked up, seeing a plan in the works. "I can go to public records and get a layout of both the office and the hotel. With this, we can plan on the best ways to get in and out."

I nodded my head at this. "Jenks and I can go out and buy the equipment we will need. Think we can pull this off tomorrow?"

Both nodded, with Jenks adding, "Damn straight!" Tomorrow, we would find out more about the mysterious Ms. Davidson.

 **Author's Note** : Sorry for the delay in the chapter. I got some bad news about my health, which may make the next chapters even more delayed. I won't forget to do them; it just will take longer than the way I've been cranking them out so far. Thanks for hanging in there and reading!


	7. Recon

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 7**

 **Author: LastMartian**

 **Rating: PG**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

I had to admit: Jenks knew what he was doing. He had picked a small surveillance store instead of one of the big electronic stores. We had been there almost an hour, Jenks eyeing each piece of equipment with a thoroughness that surprised me. While I had been impressed with some of the higher end equipment, with all the bells and whistles that came with them, Jenks would look at them critically and decide against them. He never went for the most expensive or the cheapest; he always would look at the moderately priced equipment, decided if it fit the bill, and then either add it to our basket or move on to the next piece. It was like he was auditioning each one to see if they had the right stuff.

Our basket was quickly filling with micro cameras, sensors – both thermal and motion, phone tapping equipment, and other things that I had no clue what they were. I had figured out that I was really there as a pack mule, which was fine by me. I wasn't patient enough to do a proper surveillance, as I tended to start up as soon as I saw a target. I'm sure that Ivy and Jenks would agree with my self-assessment, most likely with specific examples. _So what if I am impulsive? I get the job done!_ This type of job didn't need impulsive though, so I left the decision making to Ivy and Jenks. I would be there to help if anything went wrong, but this was their show.

Soon enough, we were cashing out, a whopping amount being put on our work credit card. I knew my paltry checking account would never cover that and I hated relying on Ivy for money. It seriously intruded on my sense of independence, but I had been learning more and more to rely on my partners and friends. Still, it rankled me a bit to have to ask Ivy for financial help; I felt that I wasn't pulling my weight for the business. Sighing, I put away my credit card, grabbing the several bags of equipment. We made our way out to the car, Jenks going a mile a minute about the equipment and his excitement to be front and center on this job. His enthusiasm made me smile; Jenks could still act like the little kid at Christmas, amazed at how many toys they got.

I climbed into the car, Jenks taking his usual perch on the rearview mirror. As I started the car, Jenks took on a serious mien. "Rache, is everything okay with you and Ivy? It's like you did a complete turnaround after your most recent hospital trip. I don't want you getting hurt, and I really don't want you hurting Ivy in the process. She can only take so much, ya know?"

Sighing as I pulled the car out of the parking lot, I briefly glanced at Jenks before returning my gaze to the road. _He meant well. No knee jerks reactions are needed._ "Jenks, I appreciate the concern that you show both to Ivy and myself. I know you probably had a similar talk to Ivy about this. I really do love Ivy, Jenks. I've gotten over the fear that I had. I had felt so afraid of all the changes that had happened in my life, my attraction to Ivy was just one more. One that I felt I had some sort of control over. It was like I could weather all the storms in my life if I could only cling to one thing about myself, a rock that would shelter me from the changes that kept being sprung on me. Unfortunately, this steadfastness came at the cost of my best friend.

"I almost lost Ivy, on multiple occasions. She even said goodbye to me, on that trip to San Francisco. I still couldn't bring myself to break away from that stubbornness. It had become so ingrained in me, it had become second nature to expect Ivy to hit on me and for me to just give the same talk over and over. What really changed me was the way our relationship evolved after that goodbye. I saw the love and hope in Ivy that I really had never seen before. We became closer than we ever had. Seeing Ivy laugh, smile, hug me, and more just made me realize that she truly loved me. I no longer felt like a conquest, someone that Ivy wanted just sexually. Not that I have a problem with being desired, but I wanted more than that. I started feeling desired for being me, even when she was going out with Glenn."

"Geez, Rache, I didn't ask for a life story. 'Sides, we are almost at the church, so wrap it up already!"

I rolled my eyes at him, chuckling. "Oh sorry Jenks, was I boring you?" My sarcastic tone was readily apparent, as I made no effort to hide it. Jenks impatiently tapped his feet on the mirror, obviously ready for me to continue my tale. "Okay, okay. The point of what I am trying to tell you is, that I have steadily and naturally fallen in love with Ivy. It wasn't about blood ecstasy. It wasn't about sex. It was about seeing her genuine feelings and realizing that I reciprocated them.

"Jenks, I can't predict what the future holds. Things could change for the better or for the worse. What I can say is this: I am trying my hardest to be there for her always, which is why I shared blood when she needed it. I've shared my emotions with her. One day, I will share everything with her. It's just a matter of time, as I've already shared the most important part of me: my heart."

"Wow, Rache, I never expected you to be so sappy." I scowled at him, before noticing the huge grin on his face. "My baby witch is all grown up. I'm so proud!"

"Shut up, Jenks." I smiled wryly at him, taking the joke as it was meant. Jenks could seem like a jerk sometimes, but he had shown enough caring to Ivy and me to know that it was all an act. Well, mostly.

We pulled into the driveway, Jenks bolting the moment the door was open. He did have 53 kids to check on. Well, 51; Jih had moved across the street to Keasley's house and Jax was who knows where with crap-for-brains. _Nobody ever mentioned if anything had happened to Jih when Keasley was attacked; hopefully she is okay._ I made a mental note to ask Jenks when he came back inside later.

I walked into the sanctuary, closing the oak doors behind me. I could hear the familiar tapping of keys, letting me know that Ivy was in the kitchen. For the longest time, I would only see her coming and going on runs or at her laptop. Otherwise, she closeted herself in her room, often with the door shut. I'm pretty sure that she spent a lot of her time at her laptop just so she could be close to me. I was so oblivious to how hard she had fallen in love with me; afterwards I wanted to deny it. _I'm glad those days are gone._

"Hey Ivy, we're home!" I walked into the kitchen, bags full of electronic goodies. "Jenks is happy with what we got, and I'm sure that the credit card company is as well. We should have everything we need for tomorrow; were you able to get any plans from the public records office?" Setting the bags done, I hoisted myself up onto the counter, feet dangling.

Ivy had smiled at me when I came into the room, turning her full attention on me. Just her smile alone was enough to send a warmth running through my body. If we weren't in the middle of a crisis, I probably would be doing naughty things to her right now. Just the thought of her below me, our bodies entwined, our lips crushed together, was enough to get my heart beating like mad. "Rachel…" I looked to Ivy, seeing her eyes blacking out as she stared hungrily at me. Yes, hungrily. I've had guys who looked at me with desire, but never like this. It felt kind of good to feel this desired. Unfortunately, this wasn't the time or place.

"Sorry, sorry. I have the worst timing ever. We need to work; I will get my head in the game." I opened the kitchen windows; the back door was already opened, with the screen door letting in air. I quickly grabbed a scented candle and lit it. I knew that it wouldn't be enough to complete remove the scent of my arousal, but it should help. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I just couldn't help it. Seeing a goddess like you smile at me, I just got all hot and bothered." I smiled at her, seeing her smile in return. "We've got plenty of time for that later. I really want to help you and Jenks plan this."

Ivy gave a faux shocked look at me. "You, plan? Will wonders never cease?" A quick punch to her shoulder brought laughter out of her. "I'll convert you yet. But, yes, I got photos of the building layout for both her office and hotel. The best way to do this is probably going to rely heavily on Jenks. Sure, we could pick the locks, but I think that sending Jenks through the air ducts would be probably easier. The office building is fairly small, so it should be no issue getting in and out of there.

"The hotel is larger, so the flight time for Jenks there would be significant. The doors there are keycard coded, so it's going to be tougher getting access to the ventilation shafts there. We probably should pay for a room there; it will have ventilation access. The hotel room will be the easiest to bug; we can do that anytime Davidson is out. The office is going to be tricky."

As always, Ivy had this planned out efficiently. I had grown to accept this part of her, even when she felt the need to plan everything to death. I just knew that nothing ever went to plan, which is where my flying by the seat of my pants came into play. I didn't want to bring this up now, as it was an old argument and I didn't feel like a fight with Ivy. _Huh, maybe I am maturing._

"What's wrong with the office? It looks pretty straight forward."

Ivy's face was somber, showing the seriousness that she took this. "I went by the office building after the public records office, to see what it looked like. It appears that it is for human clients only, as the hours for the building itself are 8-6. The building was locked and appears to be alarmed. We could try to disarm the alarm, but we would either need to go do it now or wait until later on. Our only other option would be to go in while the building is open and bug the office while Davidson is not there. We could also wait until after the weekend…"

"I don't want to waste any more time. We've been on the defensive too long; we need to find this Sébastien and make him pay for what he's done." I knew that I was sounding a bit vengeful, but damn it, he had hurt people I cared about. "We can just plan on getting into her office while she is out tomorrow."

"As she was just found by the FIB, Glenn didn't have any data on her regular activities. I suggest that one of us keep an eye on her, _discreetly_ , while the other two do the run." By the tone of her voice on the word discreetly, I knew that Ivy meant herself. I could kid myself and declare that I could be discreet, but Ivy would never buy that. More than likely it would become a joke between Ivy and Jenks, and I would never hear the end of it. _Probably best if I just keep my mouth shut._

As if she read my mind, Ivy raised her eyebrow, waiting on my response. With nothing forthcoming, her lips curled up into a mischievous smile. "Well, well, you continue to amaze me, dear heart. Just weeks ago, you would have taken issue with my implication; instead you keep your silence. There's hope for you yet."

Now she was just goading me; I couldn't let her get away with that. "Was there an implication?" I asked in my most innocent voice. "I just assumed you wanted the superior runner to be surveillance, so I knew you wanted me for the job. Very flattering, by the way. Also very humble of you to admit that I am the better runner; it must have been tough on you." I leaned down to kiss her cheek, which was my second mistake.

I quickly found myself in her lap, staring deep into pools of liquid night in her eyes. I shivered despite myself. Ivy's voice was low, deep, and had that grey silk quality that goes right to my core. "Superior runner, huh? Sounds like someone is a little too full of themselves. Someone is deserving of a little reminder of their place. Maybe it's time for a little…" her tongue peeked out to lick her lips languidly, biting her bottom lip afterwards, "punishment?"

My jaw had to have dropped to the floor with that. I found myself squirming in her lap, not even aware I was doing so at first. The warmth that had quickly spread to my core was starting to overcome my reasoning. Everything outside of Ivy was just a blur. I only had eyes for this beautiful creature in front of me. Her amused expression told me that her words had the desired effect on me. I didn't care if she won this little battle. The whole of my universe right then and there was Ivy. Ivy with her perfectly flawless skin, her oh so expressive eyes, her lusciously soft lips, her beautifully toned body, and hair that shimmered like black silk. I wanted to do nothing more than worship her right now. I quickly crushed my lips against hers, as if my life and soul depended on it.

"Damn, you lunkers, can't you keep it in the bedroom? There are kids about, you know!"

 _Crap, Jenks just had wonderful timing._ Sighing, I tore myself away from the comfort of Ivy's lips so that I could see Jenks. "Hey Jenks, everything okay with the kids? I forgot to ask about Jih, was she hurt in the attack?" I refused to get up out of Ivy's lap; the interrupting pixie would just have to deal with some PDA. Unfortunately, Ivy had other thoughts; I found myself quickly on my feet again. Pouting, I returned to my seat as Ivy brought up the digital photos of the office layout. Ivy noticed my disappointed glance and broadly smiled at me, a merry twinkle in her eyes. My disappointment abated, I returned her smile with equal enthusiasm. A not-so-subtle cough brought my attention back to Jenks.

"Jih is fine, they never bothered her. Now, if you two bunnies are quite through with mentally undressing each other, can we get back to the matter at hand? Unless I am mistaken, we have a deadline, and you two playing hide the….well, whatever girls hide, isn't getting the job done!"

Raising my hands in capitulation, I answered, "Okay, okay, Jenks. We'll behave. For now." That brought a laugh from Ivy, Jenks just rolling his eyes in response. "What do you think are the best options?"

Jenks nodded his head, clearly back into a serious mental state. "The hotel looks pretty straight forward. Ivy, I am guessing you already figured we would need to get a room there to make it easier?" Ivy nodded her head; Jenks continued, "According to these layouts, the office building has an alarm system going through it. I figure that means that the building is human only, so they probably only have human business hours. I could probably disarm it with time, but I'm guessing we don't have the luxury of time?"

I was amazed that Jenks could figure all that out just by looking at blueprints. Then again, he was an expert in security equipment and could pick a lock faster than anyone I knew, so this must be second nature to him. "Yeah, I would really prefer if we could do this tomorrow, as Saturday I will be in the Ever After. Since I have to create my first of three tulpas for Al, I'm not going to be in the greatest of shapes when I come back."

Jenks was buzzing around slightly, shedding red dust, indicating his somewhat agitated mood. "Okay, the hard way it is. It's only 10 P.M., so we have plenty of time to plan this before it opens for the day. We will need to get access to the ventilation system and hit her office when she leaves. Hopefully Davidson takes a long lunch. One of us will need to keep an eye on her, so we can be alerted when she comes back. Ivy is better at keeping tabs on people, so she can do that." Jenks interrupted me before I could protest. "Rachel, it's the truth. If we need a loud distraction or a quick bust in, you are tops. Let Ivy do what comes naturally for her. You can help me out."

Sighing, I reluctantly agreed with the pixie. At least he was somewhat diplomatic about it, rather than saying that I was 'a clumsy, awkward, lumbering lunker', which he had done in the past. "Okay, I will go with Jenks. Ivy can do the stupid surveillance." My lower lip was undoubtedly sticking out in a pout. Ivy was obviously struggling from giggling out loud, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

"Geez, Rache, will a nice nap help you? Maybe a quick story followed by milk and cookies?" Jenks once again rolled his eyes at me; he seemed to do that a lot around me. I shook my head at him, stalking over to the coffee machine. I deliberately avoided stomping my feet as I went, not wanting to solidify the image of a temper tantrum. Plus, Ivy would have assuredly died laughing at that point.

I poured the grinds into the machine, filling it with water from the carafe. Starting it up, I turned to Jenks and asked, "So, what is the game plan? We obviously will be on a timetable, so what are our priorities? You can't carry everything yourself, so it will be multiple trips."

Jenks looked up at me with approval in his eyes. "Agreed. I really want to focus on the cameras and motion sensors, so each run I will take one of each, set it up, then come back for the next set. Ideally 3 would be best, but 2 would work. It's not a huge office, but I would really like 3 different angles on any action. It may be stretching it to get 3, so I don't expect to get anything else done. I dunno; should I bug her phone first, then do a camera or two?"

Ivy spoke up before I got a word in edgewise. "If we only have the cameras, we can't hear any full conversations that may occur. I suggest the bug first, then cameras. Davidson is just small fry; we are looking for the big fish. We need more information; listening into her calls could give us that information."

"I agree with Ivy." The coffee had finished brewing; I looked questioningly at Ivy while motioning to the pot. She nodded her head. I pulled down two mugs, pouring coffee in each. "So, we wait until Davidson leaves, Ivy follows her while we do the break-in." _That really doesn't sounds so good, does it? Eh, I can get over it._ "While Jenks dazzles us with his expertise and I twiddle my thumbs, Ivy will keep an eye on Davidson until she looks to be returning. Once she does, Ivy calls us, we skedaddle. That sound like the plan?" _Great. Jenks and Ivy get things to do, I get to sit on my thumb._

Jenks shook his head at me. "Rachel, you won't be useless. I need your help getting into the ventilation shafts. Plus, you are there to pull my ass out of the fryer if needed. You are my backup this time around."

 _Hey! That's true. I might get to be the badass, saving someone at the last second._ I smiled, vigorously nodding my head. I handed Ivy her coffee, our fingers touching as I passed the cup. Ivy gave a small, secret smile just for me, and my heart fluttered at it. I kind of felt like a school girl, touching her crush for the first time. A thrill went through my body at her touch. I returned to my seat, a faint flush coming over my cheeks.

"Alright, ladies, enough," Jenks said accusatorily. "We have an early morning ahead of us, so we all need to get sleep. And I mean sleep, not girl on girl fun! Save it for another night. I don't want sloppy performances due to exhaustion, even if it's the good kind of exhaustion. I'm not afraid to pix your underwear if I have to!"

"Sure thing, Dad," I sarcastically added. "I said we would behave earlier, and we will. Still, I am getting in some snuggle time first, but I will sleep in my bed, okay?"

Jenks sighed. "Fine. I need to take care of my kids first thing before our midnight naps. Don't stay up to late! I'm getting you lunkers up at 8 A.M." With that, he flew out the window, leaving a trail on green dust that slowly dissipated away. I took a large swallow of my coffee before looking to Ivy. She still had that small smile on her face that looked so devastatingly cute. _It's not fair; Ivy has it so easy. She can naturally go from picture perfect innocent girl to seductive, hungry vamp in seconds._ If I wanted to do that, heavy makeup and a wardrobe change would be required. _Still, it's nice to know that that smile is for me, and me alone._

I stood, walking over to her. I held my hand out to Ivy, who gracefully took it and stood beside me. I started walking to the living room; her fingers intertwined with mine during the journey. I squeezed her hand lightly, enjoying the feel of her skin against mine. We made our way to the couch, sitting close so we could rest against each other. This close, I could smell incense, Ivy's personal aroma, surrounding me. I shivered, feeling so enveloped in safety with Ivy. Months ago, I would have been scared out of my mind, being this close to her. Now it felt freeing.

Ivy let go of my hand, turning to me. The soft smile was still there, causing a rush of love to infuse my body. She brought her hand to my cheek, gently brushing away a stray hair that had made its way to my face. Cupping my cheek with her hand, she gently lowered herself to brush her lips against mine, a feathery touch of fleeting softness. _That's not enough, I want more!_ I tried to move harder against her, but Ivy simply pulled herself away from my attempts. The smile was still there, as if she had a big secret that I didn't know.

I scooted closer to her, once again attempting to give her a proper kiss. I wanted to feel Ivy pressed against me, our kisses showing the true passion that I was feeling. Ivy again gently deflected me, causing me to whine in impatience. ( _Yes, I whined. You would too!_ ) "Ivy…." At this point, having already been interrupted by Jenks earlier, I wanted my Ivy kissing time. If I had to beg to get it, I would do so in a heartbeat. Ivy just smiled at my petulant tone and shook her head softly.

"Rachel, as much as I would love to do nothing more than ravish you right now, Jenks was right. We do need sleep; we don't want to make any mistakes tomorrow." She once again caressed my cheek with her hand, softly bringing it up to thread its way through my hair. "We have all the time in the world after this. Besides which, I really want our first time to be special. I want a proper date: dinner, dancing, and the like. I want our relationship to be more than just sex, though I am really looking forward to that." A broad smile came to her face with those words. "I want us to remain friends as we become lovers."

Her words touched me in ways I can't describe. In so many of my past relationships, once we had moved to the more physical parts, our friendship seemed to come to a halt. It was if they were friends enough, and no more effort was needed. Kisten had been the exception, but even then, I had never felt a part of him as I felt a part of Ivy. I knew that was partially my own hang-ups; I never believed that any of those relationships were serious enough for me to open up to them completely. Ivy was different. I felt thrilled that she wanted to continue all aspects of our relationship going forward.

Beaming with love, I quickly embraced her with tears in my eyes. "Thank you Ivy." I pulled away from her, quickly wiping those tears away that had managed to escape down my cheeks. "That means more to me than you think. While it's going to suck waiting until we can go on that date, I will be patient." At this, Ivy raised an eyebrow, looking at me questioningly. "OK, I will try my best to be patient. Happy?" At this, Ivy chuckled and hugged me back.

We stayed there for a while longer, simply content to be in each other's presence. As if we had coordinated it, we both rose at the same time, interlinked our arms, and slowly walked down the hallway. As we approached my room, Ivy turned to me, bringing her hands to my cheeks. She lowered herself to my lips, gently kissing them with the promises of love and passion to come. Unfortunately, my future didn't involve sweating, panting bodies; no, it involved a nice, long cold shower. _Why am I complaining? It doesn't matter in the end. This is me making a good choice._

As we parted from the kiss, Ivy looked into my eyes, evidently aware of the subtle shifts in my emotions. Her face, while still somewhat open, had taken on a more guarded look. I shook my head, bringing my hands up to hers to hold them in place. "Ivy, I won't say that I am not disappointed. I wish things were different. But they aren't, and that's okay. I can live with that. It doesn't mean that I have to like it, but I accept it. You've been so very patient for Goddess knows how long; I will just need to be patient for a week or two more. It's worth it. And by that, I mean you." Ivy beamed at that, closing in to once again kiss me. I took the opportunity to once again luxuriate in the silky texture of her hair. What I wouldn't give to have hair like that!

We parted once more, Ivy looking happy and relaxed. Her hands dropped down and mine naturally followed suit, grabbing onto hers in the process. We murmured our good nights and separated. Ivy went into her room, gently closing the door behind her, but not before blowing a kiss at me. I waved to her before turning to my room. I was ready to sleep; the shower could wait until morning. I changed into my oversized Takata t-shirt and snuggled into bed. Hopefully I would have wonderful dreams of Ivy.

"RACHEL! Get your lazy witchy ass out of bed already!"

I waved away the insect that was disrupting the incredible dream I was having. It was pretty annoying that the fly or whatever it was had learned to talk; if I couldn't get peace in my room, where could I go?

"Rachel, damn it to the Turn! This is the fifth time I've been in here. Don't make me pix you!"

Blinking my eyes a few times, I noticed what I thought was a fly or whatever resolved itself into Jenks. _Ugh. I almost preferred the fly._ I let out a yawn, slowly using my elbows to sit somewhat up. "Jenks, why are you in here so early? You said we could sleep until 8."

"Tink's porn video, Rachel, it's 8:30! Maybe try setting your alarm for once in your life? Ivy's already up, yet you can't seem to bother dragging your ass out of bed. You're lucky; the vamp decided to cook you breakfast."

"Breakfast? For me?" OK, that was worth getting out of bed for. Well, that plus getting the drill sergeant off my back. Knowing he wasn't leaving until I was out of bed, I tossed the covers off and pulled myself to a seating position on the bed. I quickly located a pair of running shorts that were clean enough to wear until I showered, pulling them on. Satisfied that his job was done, Jenks flew out my open window. I made my way to the bathroom, relieving myself and washing up for breakfast. I also brushed my teeth quickly, hoping for a few kisses before breakfast time.

Heading towards the kitchen, I smelled the aroma of my favorite breakfast treat: homemade waffles! Coming into the kitchen, I saw my waffles, alongside bacon, fresh cut strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. Naughty thoughts went through my mind when I saw the whipped cream, and Ivy definitely noticed the change in my emotions there. She had been washing dishes, but stopped so she could sashay her way over to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, with my hands going around her neck. "Good morning", she whispered in that silky grey voice of hers. A passionate kiss was my reward for being good last night, which I was more than happy to accept.

I smiled after the kiss had ended. "I could definitely get used to being greeted like that in the morning." I once again glanced over at the whipped cream, Ivy's eyes starting to turn black with my emotions. "I'm guessing that's just for the waffles?" Ivy laughed at that, a rich laugh that was infectious in its happiness. I was still amazed about how much Ivy had opened up to me. It was so good to hear her so happy, it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

"Oh, dear heart, we are going to have so much fun together. But, yes, for now, it's just for the waffles. Dig in; the slave driver will be back anytime to find out why it's taking us so long to get ready." Ivy pulled away from me, grabbing my mug from the cabinet to fix me coffee. I took a plate, loading up a waffle with plenty of fruit, with whipped cream on top. Munching on a piece of bacon, I made my way to my chair. I started eating as Ivy brought me my coffee. I saw her mug already on her side but no plate.

"Aren't you eating? Wouldn't Jenks have something to say about the need for proper nourishment before a run of this magnitude?" I couldn't help but smile. This, after all, was technically Jenks' run, so he got to say how it was done. However, with all the grief I had endured on my runs, it felt good to be the one giving grief back.

"I already ate. If you had been up at 8 like you were supposed to", her eyes twinkling mischievously, "we could have eaten together. Still, I get the chance to sit and talk for a few minutes before going to shower myself. And no, "seeing the question forming on my mouth, "separate showers. Really, Rachel, you are incorrigible." Her smile belied her serious tone.

 _Eh, it was worth a shot._ Nodding my head, I continued the process of demolishing my waffle. Ivy finished her coffee, went to the sink, rinsed the cup out, and put it in the draining rack. She finished the rest of the dishes before leaving me alone in the kitchen. I finished my waffle, contemplating whether I wanted another or not. I decided against it; I didn't want my working leathers getting too tight on me. I put away the leftover food into the fridge. _Now for my shower…_

Thirty minutes later, I had showered, worked my hair into a semblance of order, and gotten into my leather pants and a three-quarters sleeve emerald green shirt. I had taken the time to do some personal grooming as well, which usually happened when I anticipated a hot date. I put my hair back into a pony tail; I didn't need it getting in my way at any time during this run. I came out to the sanctuary to see Ivy dressed like normal: black leather pants, black tank top, with her black duster ready to be put on. I would complain about how stereotypical Ivy would dress, but, in all honesty, it made her look HAWT. The dark colors just simply complemented her somewhat pale, creamy skin, so I would never say anything about what she wore. She made everything look nice.

Jenks was already there as well, obviously agitated at the delay undoubtedly caused by myself. I'm sure he wanted to get underway an hour ago, but I figured that we had plenty of time. We really wanted to hit her office at lunch time, the only time she might be away from her desk. As it was just 10 A.M., we still had plenty of time to find our way there and get into position. We took Ivy's car, as I still hadn't had the chance to replace my convertible yet. (The bike was out of the question with Jenks coming, so I was grateful for that small blessing.) It didn't take long for us to get near the office building. Ivy dropped us off a block away, so we had time to get to the side entrance and make our way into the basement.

The ventilation room was locked, but we had expected that. While I can pick locks in a pinch, Jenks was by far more adept at this, so I let the pixie do the work. A few minutes later, we found ourselves in the room and located the duct that would take Jenks where he needed to go. I started loosening the grill attached to the duct, to allow Jenks to be able to enter. Once that was done, I radioed to Ivy to let her know that we were in position and were awaiting her signal. Ivy let us know she had found a good vantage point to be able to see both the front and side entrances.

I laid out each delivery payload, so that when Jenks flew back, I could simply have the next load ready to go. He was taking in the phone bug as well as the first camera/motion sensor on his first run. While they were small in size, he didn't want to take the chance that he might lose something due to the grate at the end. It might be a tight fit for him, but he assured me that it would be no problem. I shrugged, figuring that he would know best.

At last we got the call from Ivy, saying that Davidson had left the building. Apparently she looked to be headed to a local Indian restaurant. Ivy was following her discreetly; we were waiting to verify that Davidson was staying there for a time. Once Ivy called back to say that Davidson had taken a booth, we went to work.

Jenks flew into the duct at a quick pace; I barely had time to register him even leaving the room. I did a quick radio check with Jenks, which got me a "shut up and let me do my job". I rolled my eyes at this; he could be such a prima donna sometimes. We figured, at his speed, Jenks would get to the office in a minute or two, so I was expecting a callback fairly soon to register his arrival. Sure enough, Jenks called back quickly after that, to say he was entering the office. That's when everything went to hell.

In the endless seconds waiting for something important or life changing, all sorts of thoughts can flow through your mind. As I had nothing to do except wait on Jenks or listen for Ivy, I had plenty of time to ponder my current situation. Of course, thinking things through was never my strong suit, so I missed the first time Jenks called for help. By the time it registered that something was wrong, all I was hearing was a garbled call of my name.

Realizing that something had gone seriously wrong, I called over to Ivy. "Ivy, hurry! Something is wrong, I can't get a hold of Jenks!" I quickly spindled up some ley line energy and pulled out my splat gun. I wanted to be ready for whatever happened next. In my haste to run up the stairs to Davidson's office, I never noticed if Ivy even replied. _She would be there_ , I reasoned. _Ivy never let us down._

Getting up the stairs to the 2nd floor, I started sprinting down the hallway, taking a left down an adjacent hallway. I quickly came to a halt, stunned by what was before my eyes. _Davidson! Why, I mean, how is she even here?_ Standing there in a business suit that cost way more than I could ever afford, she had a smug smile on her face, undoubtedly due to the fact of what she had dangling in her right hand. _Jenks!_ He looked to be caught in something white and sticky, which I assumed was sticky webs. I brought my splat gun to point at her. "Let Jenks go!"

Davidson simply grinned larger at me. "Why, Ms. Morgan, what a pleasant surprise! If you wanted to see me, you simply could have called my office; I have plenty of appointment times available. There was no need to send Mr. Jenks here ahead of you, to see if I was in. I assume Ms. Tamwood will be joining us shortly?"

Sure enough, seconds later I heard the quick boot steps of Ivy behind me. When she saw Davidson, she stopped in surprise, but seconds later hissed at the lawyer when she saw who was being held. "Let him go or I will tear out your throat." The tone in Ivy's voice brooked no argument; I was glad that I wasn't on the end of it.

The smile never left Davidson's face. "Come now, Ms. Tamwood, we can be reasonable people. I should be calling the I.S., as technically Mr. Jenks here was attempting to trespass while I was 'away'. Yes, we knew you were here; we've been expecting you. The person you followed to that Indian restaurant (which has curry to die for, by the way) was a partner of mine, who can do the best disguise charms I have ever seen. We just had to wait for you to come to us.

"No worries about Mr. Jenks; I will release him into your custody. Please take him with this simple knowledge: We know who you are. We know how you run things. We know your tactics. We know how you respond to threats. We can't be surprised by anything you can do."

Davidson quickly walked up and deposited Jenks into Ivy's waiting hands. My aim had never wavered from her; I was ready to shoot and ask questions later, if need be. "I suppose there is nothing really stopping you from attacking me right now, but it would be pointless. It wouldn't change a thing. I'm sure my client will be contacting you again shortly. Now, ladies," the sarcasm in her voice was not hidden, "I have work to do." With that, she dismissed us with her eyes, turned on her heel and re-entered her office.

Ivy and I were stunned speechless. We both had come to Jenks' rescue, anticipating a fight. Being brushed off was not high on our expectations. We both looked at each other, undoubtedly hoping the other knew what to do. Ivy shrugged her shoulders, turning her attention to Jenks. "You okay there?"

"Hell, vampire, of course I'm not okay! Do you see this damn sticky silk all over me? I'm lucky to not be bug purée right now." _Well_ , I mused, _it can't be too bad if he's complaining_. I looked over the sticky webs; it looked worse than it probably was. I should be able to take care of this at home.

"Jenks, let's get you home. I can brew up an anti-adhesive potion that will help remove all this with minimal damage. It's pretty simple to do, so you won't be like this too long." I turned to Ivy. "Ive, can you bring the car closer, so that Jenks won't be as exposed to trash, dirt, and the like? No need getting more into the mix than is necessary."

Ivy nodded to my request, quickly dashing away at speeds that I could only hope to possess. I took the stairs back down to the ground floor, keeping an eye out for our car through the large glass windows at the main entrance. Jenks was cursing up a storm; I had begun to tune him out, as he could (and probably would) be like this for a while. Sighing, I realized that this run was more of the same old Morgan luck. Usually everything worked out in the end, but the journey was always rough. I always hated that my friends were the ones who ended up with the short stick. I sometimes wondered if…

"RACHEL!"

Startled, I turned my attention to Jenks, who looked livid with rage. Ivy hadn't come up with the car yet, so he wasn't yelling about that. "What, Jenks? You really don't need to yell at me."

Jenks shook his head at me. "Tink's leather whip, Rache, I've been trying to get your attention for a minute, but you were apparently too busy ignoring me. Rache, I can see the look on your face. You're somehow trying to take the blame for this, when it was nobody's fault. We had a good plan. Unfortunately, it turned out to be worth fairy farts, but that sometimes happens. Look," he squirmed against the stick web in an attempt to get more comfortable, "we all agreed on the plan, which was in itself a miracle. We can work this out, okay?"

I nodded my head mutely, wanting so much to pull the web off of him, but knowing that it would cause serious damage. Jenks could heal, but it would take time. Besides, he was continuing on, and I really didn't want to be accused of ignoring him again.

"Rache, if anything happens to me, "he interrupted me before I could interject, "like I said, IF anything happens to me, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You've grown a lot since we first met. I know I've given you a hard time about you and Ivy, but, I have to admit, it's been good to see love again in the church. Ever since Mattie left us, it seemed like it was in short supply. Sure, we were friends, but a loving family brings something more to the home. I'm happy that you both have found happiness with each other. And, "he got a serious look on his face, "if you breathe a single word of this to Ivy, I'll pix your underwear. I don't want her getting all broody about Mattie."

Sniffling back the tears, I smiled happily at Jenks. "I promise not to say anything. Thank you, Jenks. And there's Ivy, so we best getting going." I wiped at my eyes, not wanting any tears to still be present when I got in the car. Ivy would have questioned me, and I sucked at lying to her. _I was much better at lying to myself; I had years of practice._ I grimaced at the thought, but knew that those days were over.

Several hours later found me finally finishing off the anti-adhesive, which had apparently taken an eternity according to Jenks. His loud complaints at the time it was taking had started wearing on my nerves, to the point where I almost accidentally ruined the potion. After I blew up at him, he managed to keep the commentary down to a minimal level.

Ivy was sitting in her normal spot but, surprisingly enough, wasn't glued to her computer. In between bouts of Jenks' complaints, she asked about what I was doing during the preparation of the spell, what each ingredient was, why stir it deosil versus widdershins, and the like. I was shocked that she was taking interest, but happily explained what I was doing as the spell progressed. It made me very happy that Ivy was giving me attention, and I couldn't help but playfully flirt with her during the entire spelling. Of course, this was just more fodder for Jenks on why it wasn't done yet.

I carefully applied the anti-adhesive to Jenks, clearing one web at a time before attempting the next one. It was a grueling process; there were far more webs present than my initial assessment had considered. Jenks was, of course, no help to me. I've pretty much decided that pixies can't be still for more than 10 seconds at a time. It was worse than giving 3 year old twins a bath, which I knew from babysitting experience. When I finally got the last one removed, Jenks tried to fly away, but found his wing had been too damaged. I grimaced and whispered a sorry to him; we had to get some of his kids to help him back to the stump. Rest would do him good. Heck, rest would do all of us some good.

After dumping my spell pot into the sink ( _Ivy would chide me later on this, I'm sure_ ), I made my way into the living room, to snuggle up to my favorite person in the world. Ivy had been watching the news but turned it off as I made my way to her side. As I sat, I tried to lean up against her, but she guided my head to her lap. She gently stroked my hair as I lay there. _She's so much better than anyone I've ever dated. She knows my feelings and responds appropriately._ I sighed contentedly, enjoying the feeling. I was so tired, more mentally than physically. The failed run, the spelling, and taking care of Jenks had taken a lot out of me. This is exactly what I needed, and I appreciated Ivy taking care of me as she did.

"Ivy, how did you put up with me all those years?" I turned on her lap, facing up so I could see her eyes. "Just by how well you responded to me here, you must have known what I really wanted all this time, but held yourself back. Here I was, thinking you were so guarded because of your vamp tendencies, but it was me all along, wasn't it?"

Ivy smiled at me, ever so gently, brushing the hair off my face, tucking it behind my ear. "Dear heart, it was trying at times, very trying. I knew you were worth it. Sometimes it felt like my patience had run its course. I would get angry or upset at something you did and wondered if it was pointless to keep waiting. But then you would do something wonderful, something that would make me realize why I was waiting. I would see the love you have in yourself and know that, one day, you would show that to me.

"I never gave up on you. Even when I said goodbye in San Francisco, I didn't give up my hope. I said goodbye, thinking that I would never see you again. When you didn't disappear into the Ever After, I knew that I had to keep up appearances for now. Yes, I kept dating Glenn. It wasn't to make you jealous, it was just a way for me to make sure of my feelings. Glenn is a good man, he needed me in his life at the time. Once I realized that I still needed you in my life, and you needed me, I understood that I would never fall in love with him. Darryl can be there for him now. I want to be here for you."

Tears started to stream down my face. I leaned up swiftly to bring my lips to hers, in a desperate attempt to show how much love I had for her. Words just didn't seem enough right now. Moments later, we separated, gasping for air. I pressed my forehead against hers, so grateful that I could be this close to her now. I pulled away so I could look into her beautiful eyes; she was smiling broadly. She laid a gentle kiss on my lips before softly pressing me back down to her lap.

"Rest now, Rache. I can see how tired you are. I'm here." She started stroking my hair again; I closed my eyes at the pleasure it brought me. Soon enough, I felt myself tumbling into the endless black of sleep.

"Rachel…"

I distantly heard Ivy's voice, but felt too tired to move to find her. "Mhere, Ivy…"

"Rachel, it's close to dawn. You should wake up to pack a bag."

 _Pack a bag? Was I going somewhere?_ I forced my eyes to open, finding myself still in Ivy's lap from the night before. "You stayed here all night with me?"

"You were so tired, I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, "her face smiling broadly, "I rather enjoyed you sleeping here. It was peaceful and relaxing. But, like I said, it is close to dawn; Al won't like you being late on your first day back."

Crap! It was Saturday, which meant my first day back in the Ever After. Groaning, I realized that today would be horrible; I had to create a tulpa for Al today, as part of my efforts to get on his good side again. Well, not-so-bad side? Anyway, I did need to pack myself an overnight bag. I sat up quickly, slipping my boots back on. I started to move towards my room when a thought intruded into my head, stopping me. I turned back to Ivy, bringing myself back down to the couch by her side.

The first thing I noticed was how tired Ivy looked. She had spent the whole night awake, just keeping me close so that I could sleep. The second thing my attention was drawn to, were those delectable lips that I found so enticing. I kissed her, amazed once more that such soft lips were kissing me in return. "Thank you so much, Ive. I slept so well. Your scent always wraps me up in a feeling of safety and security."

Ivy smiled broadly at my words, with a hint of a faint blush. I had the feeling that, while most likely being peppered with false ones constantly, she was not used to having sincere compliments given to her. I promised myself that it would be my goal to compliment her every day at least once; she deserved to know what a great person she was.

Unfortunately, time was not on my side right now, so I kissed her again quickly and ran to my room for my bag. I threw in a clean (well, clean-ish) pair of jeans, a t-shirt and clean underwear as well as sundry other items I might need while there. It was always a good idea to bring a change of clothes; I learned that the hard way when one of my earlier attempts at potion making exploded all over me. No matter how I begged and pleaded, Al wouldn't let me go home, even if just to get a clean set of clothes. Satisfied I had everything I needed from my room, I ran to the kitchen, grabbing a few pain amulets there. I knew that I would be getting a head splitting migraine from doing this tulpa today, so I wanted to be prepared for it. A finger stick went in alongside the amulets. I noticed Ivy had come into the kitchen; I started to say something, but it came out as a sneeze instead.

"Well, there's Al. Guess I need to go run and get ready to kiss his butt until things are smoothed over." I came over to Ivy, ready to give a goodbye kiss when another sneeze came on. "He's impatient today." I gave a quick peck to her while smiling. "I'll be back tomorrow. I may be earlier, if Al decides to be nice for a change. Don't count on it, though." Yet another sneeze forced its way out of me. "Alright, alright, I'm coming! See you tomorrow sweetie!"

I ran out the back door towards the ley line we have in our backyard. I heard the door open and close again behind me. Ivy's voice called out to me, "Be safe Rachel!" I turned quickly, waving goodbye as I walked into the line. Al mumbled something about being on time and grabbed my arm. Soon, I felt the world fade away as we travelled to the Ever After.

TBC

 **I apologize for the delay in the update. The health issues I mentioned earlier are kicking my butt right now, but I am committed to finishing this story. I have at least 2 more chapters to write. In addition, I already have plans for the next story. I am hoping that my medical issues will be resolved soon, so that I can get back to feeling better more often, so that I can write more often. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Resolution

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 8**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay. This chapter was challenging to write; I ended up scrapping it to do a rewrite. I did take some liberties with the hotel described, specifically the underground parking. This is my longest chapter yet; hopefully you enjoy it.**

 **Chapter 8**

I stepped out of the line, happy to be home. Well, I more stumbled than stepped and it was more relief than happiness. Al was not pleased with me most of the day; it was apparent that he blamed me for all his misfortunes since I "died". He was down to his kitchen, a bedroom, and a small library/living room. The amount of books had shrunk as well, which probably made Al that much more pissed off at me; he prided himself on his collection on old but powerful texts. He was probably considered a pauper among demon kind right now, just one step above the neo-demons who roamed the surface of the Ever After. Lucky me, I got to be the target of his scorn and anger.

I had a small hope going into the Ever After that I would be able to leave early, as creating tulpas was a draining and painful experience. Even though I created a magnificent tulpa for him, an almost perfect copy of the Oval Office ( _some demons have weird tastes_ ), Al insisted that I stay and stir up curses for him, despite the fact that I had a raging migraine. He picked the hardest and most complex curse to brew up, as far as I could determine; his pettiness was apparent in his actions and words. No matter how hard I tried, everything I did was wrong today. My migraine resulted in everything being too loud and too bright, which made it that much harder to focus on a curse that was demanding in its timing. I managed to get it done right the third time, which was a good thing, as I was ready to kill Al at that point. His continued criticisms and outright insults on my abilities reminded me that no good deed goes unpunished.

I coped as best as I could, doing my best to ignore Al's tantrums and hurled invectives. It was really only possible to make it through the day with the help of an extreme strength pain amulet hanging off of me. My witchy butt would have been toast without its serious dampening of the migraine that was plaguing me. Even now, having removed myself from the source of my current stress, I still felt the pressure of the migraine; I would need to add a second one just to be able to sleep. It was a gloomy day, which was a blessing; I don't know if I could have stood a bright, sunny day right now. I just prayed that Ivy had coffee ready for me, like always. A good cup of caffeine would do me some good right about now, even more so than normal. Coffee, then the pain amulet, then off to bed. Sleep sounded so good right now; it was a struggle just to trudge into the church. I made it into the back door, only to be greeted by silence.

"Ivy?" My voice seemed to echo off the walls. I couldn't hear any sound in the church, but, as my very vampy girlfriend more glided than walked, I wasn't completely surprised. Most often, she would be at her computer upon my return from the Ever After, greeting me as if it were perfectly normal for her to be awake at dawn. I always assumed she was waiting up to make sure I made it back safely, as I knew it bugged her that I was somewhere outside of her ability to save me. I could count on hearing some reason about why she wasn't in bed. A late run, prepping for a new run, sleepless night: I heard the gamut of reasons why she was still awake. Deep down, I knew she was scared every time I went to the Ever After; it was sweet of her to be that concerned about my wellbeing.

I shrugged my shoulders. It was very possible she was actually asleep, even though it seemed very unlikely. Ivy was very much a creature of habit; she was very predictable in her patterns, so much so that anything out of the ordinary was, in and out itself, suspect. Yes, we've been running constantly since the initial attacks, and no, I wouldn't blame her for being asleep. It just seemed so out of character that she wasn't in the kitchen that I was a little bit concerned. However, Jenks hadn't come up to me this morning with any bad news, so I brushed off my concerns for the moment.

I dropped my bag on the kitchen counter, smiling. Ivy would undoubtedly yell at me about putting things away, but all I could focus on was the coffee. I made my way to the coffee machine; it was already prepped for use. Ivy made sure that it was constantly ready to be run for our caffeinated needs, which seemed to be all the time. I filled the coffee maker up from purified water in the fridge; Ivy insisted on it, despite the fact that I never noticed the difference in taste. I started the coffee, waiting for the delicious aroma to start filling the kitchen. Next to Ivy's natural smell of incense and ash, it was my favorite aroma in the world. As I put the water back into the fridge, I noticed a small container of ox blood; I guess Ivy was listening to me about needing to get some.

I poured myself a cup, savoring the flavor and heat with the first sip. With no appearance yet of my roommate and girlfriend, I decided to go check on Ivy to make sure everything was okay. The silence in the house was beginning to spook me; it was rare that there wasn't something going on at the church. Plus, I wanted someone to commiserate with; Ivy would listen to me, even if she might mock me for my whining. Hopefully she wasn't too asleep, which admittedly made more sense in my head than it probably should. At least, if I had to wake Ivy, she would smell the coffee brewing, which would make things a little better. Ivy could be a serious grump in the morning.

I walked to her door, still nursing my morning joe. Her door was closed, which wasn't unusual, especially with pixies flying around. Ivy hated being disturbed while sleeping, so she often kept it closed to prevent the horde from rampaging through her room. I knocked softly, calling out her name in a gentle voice. I didn't hear a response, but Ivy can sometimes be a heavy sleeper. I opened the door carefully, still trying to keep from startling my vampy girlfriend. _I like that I can call her that_ , I thought. "Ivy? You awake, sweetie?" Unfortunately, there was no answer. I was reluctant to proceed further; startling a vampire was just grounds for a biting or worse. Shoring up my courage I opened the door fully, seeing that her bed was made and unoccupied. I went and felt the pillows: cool to the touch. She hadn't slept here recently.

I checked the front door, which was locked. I felt some relief, knowing that there wasn't an invasion while I was away. There was no signed of any kind of violence inside the church. I looked outside briefly, to note that her bike was gone. Her coat and helmet were missing as well, so most likely she went out on her bike. Locking back up, I swiftly walked to the back door. Unless she got a last minute run, I couldn't figure out why Ivy would take her bike out this early in the day. Even then, Ivy was so anal that she would feel the need to leave a note, explaining her absence. I needed answers, and hopefully a 4 inch pixie had them. "Jenks! You there?" Sure enough, a buzzing sound approached me, bringing my landlord and partner to my face.

"What's up, Rache?" He was flitting nearby, when all of a sudden he backed away a foot. "Damn, Rache, you stink worse than Tink's whorehouse. Some of us with a good sense of smell would appreciate you showering when you get home."

"Jenks…" I sighed, exasperated. I wasn't in the mood for his normal jocularity, but he didn't know about my concerns, so I bit off my sarcastic retort. "Jenks, where's Ivy? There's no note, she hasn't slept in her bed, her bike is gone and I can't find anything to show where she is. Did she talk to you yesterday? Did she need to go her parent's?"

"Ivy's not here?" With that, Jenks started flying back and forth, which would have been pacing if he were larger. It was clear that he was agitated, as he started emitting red dust while wringing his hands. "Ivy was here most of the day, doing her normal Saturday routines while you were away. You know, cleaning, meditation, exercise and the like. Erica did stop by for lunch, but only stayed an hour or so. She did get a call late last night. I asked her about it; she said it was one of her contacts who had information for her. She told me she would be back soon." The pixie was flitting back and forth even faster, obviously upset. "She hadn't gotten home when we took our midnight nap, so I just assumed she got in when we were asleep. Damn it! Rache, I'm sorry. I should have checked in on her when I woke up. I just didn't want to disturb her sleep."

I gave a half-hearted smile to my friend. "It's not your fault, Jenks. I would have done the same. We just need to find out anything that we can about where she went." I started thinking of anything we might look for that could help us. "Did the informant call on our business phone or Ivy's cell phone?"

"Sorry, I don't know. She came to the door to yell out for me; she seemed like she was in a hurry. We barely had a two minute conversation; all I got from her was that it was an informant. I offered to go with her, but she said she didn't need the backup for this. I'm sorry, Rache; I wish I knew more." Jenks had an almost hang dog expression; both Ivy and I considered him our friend, but he looked after us as if we were two of his children. This meant he blamed himself when anything bad happened, just like any good parent would.

"It is okay, Jenks. Really. We both know how stubborn Ivy can be when she sets her mind to something." _We have that in common._ "The fact that she didn't leave a message meant that she expected to be back before I got home. Let me go check the business phone to see if the caller ID showed any incoming calls, or if there was a voicemail left."

Unfortunately, the old Morgan luck held true. We stared at the machine, hoping that it would show something different if we kept checking. There were no recorded incoming calls since yesterday afternoon, when it showed a call from Erica. The only voicemail was one saved from months ago, a message from Kisten, that neither of us had the heart to delete. Just hearing his voice tugged on my heart a bit, but now was not the time to wallow. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts; Ivy needed my full attention right now. The call must have come on Ivy's cell phone, meaning that we had nothing to go on. I had to come up with a next step, but I had no idea where to turn to next.

"Rache, what about Glenn? Is there anything he could do to help out?" Jenks voice sounded hopeful. He was taking Ivy's disappearance hard, especially since it had happened on his watch. He was undoubtedly kicking himself over not insisting on being her backup. Pixies could be caring nurturers and fierce warriors; he had no target for his anger, so his fear was ruling his behavior right now.

"It's a good idea. I am going to try Ivy's cell number first, in case she just happens to be running late on some errand or run. If I can't reach her, we'll call Glenn."

My call to Ivy's cell went direct to voicemail, which isn't an unusual occurrence. If Ivy was in a place that she could be compromised if her phone rang, she would shut it off in a heartbeat. No point in tempting fate; I had seen so many movies where the cell phone rang at the worst time possible. It just made common sense to shut it off if getting a call would put you in danger. She usually would alert us if this was the case, so I ruled that possibility out. Ivy planned everything out. If she had needed to shut off her phone, she would have told Jenks, or had at least left us a note. So, the fact that her phone was off wasn't very reassuring.

"OK, Jenks, we are calling Glenn." I glanced at the speed dial list by the phone, pressing the number to Glenn's mobile. I was thankful that Ivy was so well prepared for any eventually, that she had made a list of the speed dial numbers (plus the actual number itself), laminated it, and stuck one by both phones. I know she also programmed all the numbers into my cell phone. I could answer my phone and could use the speed dial feature after Ivy showed me how to use it multiple times, but that was the limit of my tech know how. So, I was a Luddite; why bother learning how to use tech when magic would do the job just as well?

The phone began to ring. I hoped that I would catch him at a good time; calling in the middle of a chase was never a good idea. As luck would have it, he answered on the second ring. I could hear various office noises in the background, so I knew I had caught him in the office.

"Hey Ivy, how's my favorite vampire? You finally calling me to grovel about dumping me for Rachel?" Despite his jovial tone, his word struck me like a knife; in all that had been going on, I forgot that Ivy had broken up with him just days before. I normally wouldn't call his cell, so he had automatically assumed I was Ivy. I hesitated a moment, unsure of what to say or do. What could you say to someone you considered a friend, but you stole their girlfriend from them? "Ivy?"

I knew I needed to say something, but it seemed a heck of a lot easier to keep quiet. Mustering my courage, knowing I needed to talk to him about Ivy, I just simply stated, "It's Rachel."

"Rachel…" The tone in his voice changed, from the jocularity he had been using to one more of regret. "I'm sorry, Rache; that was really out of line. I…I just wanted to get a dig in at Ivy. I'm really sorry." Glenn was a great guy; I could totally understand why Ivy would be attracted to him. The fact that he was regretful about his words and was sincere about his regret spoke volumes about his character.

"It's okay, Glenn. I called to ask about Ivy. She went out last night; she told Jenks she was going to meet an informant, but she hasn't come back yet. There was no note left for me, which was odd if she anticipated staying out long. I tried calling her cell, but it seems that her phone is turned off. Has she tried reaching out to you in the past 12 hours or so?" I was trying to stay calm, but my agitation was increasing and probably easily heard in my voice.

"No, Rachel, she hasn't." I could tell by the tone in his voice, that Glenn was taking this seriously. "I know she goes off to be by herself if you two fight; was there any argument recently?" After getting a negative from me, he continued on. "I can declare her a missing person, put out an APB on her, so that all FIB agents will be on the lookout. Unfortunately, with no proof of any type of foul play, it will just be a 'if you happen to see her' kind of investigation. Did she happen take her bike?" I confirmed that she had. "While not exactly uncommon, her bike does stand out. At least it's something else that we can look for. Did the informant call or come in person?"

"Jenks says that it was a call, apparently on her cell. We checked the caller ID on the business line, but the last call there was yesterday afternoon from Erica." It wasn't surprising that we didn't get any other calls on a Saturday; since my lessons started in the Ever After, Ivy had decided to close down the firm on Saturdays. Even after I had the bracelet on and no longer had lessons, she decided to keep the tradition going, spending the time with either myself or her family. "When did the call come in, Jenks?" I put the call on speaker phone, so that both of us could answer anything Glenn needed. I nodded to Jenks, letting him know he could answer.

"She left about 11:30 last night, so sometime before then. She just said it was an informant, that she didn't need my help." Jenks was still hovering, his dust turning into a rich blue shade. _Crap, he thinks she's dead._ The only other time I had seen that color dust was right after Matalina died. "I should have asked for more information, but it's Ivy, you know? I never think that I need to watch out for her so much; she just takes care of herself so well." Jenks started sobbing at this point, breaking my heart. He had lost Mattie not too long ago, and losing Ivy would deal a terrible blow to the pixie that he might never recover from.

I too was stressed about Ivy being missing, but I knew that I had to keep it together. Ivy and I had just found each other, and Turn it all, I won't let anything come between us! "Hey Jenks," I kept my voice low and soothing, hoping it would penetrate the despair Jenks was feeling right now. "Ivy is going to be okay. She can take care of herself; you and I both know that. She'll be fine. We just need to be rescuing her instead of me for a change." I let myself smile briefly at that, while Jenks and Glenn both chuckled at my joke. I'm glad Jenks could still laugh; I needed his help more anyone's right now. Despair can control your life so much; I didn't want Jenks falling into that hole right now. Or ever.

Glenn piped up then. "Jenks, it's okay. Knowing that she got a call on her cell phone and the approximate time when it came in is enough to pin down the number that called her, which can lead back to somebody or somewhere. I will get her declared missing, which will allow me to put in a warrant to request phone records. Once I get those, I will call back." A moment of silence went by before he spoke again. "Rachel, and I can't emphasize this enough, don't go off half-cocked right now. We need to keep calm heads if we want to find Ivy. We don't have enough evidence to pin this on anyone, so don't go chasing after someone you think is responsible. Stay put; I will call you back when I have something."

After getting a grudging assent from me, Glenn hung up. _Another dead end._ I had been hoping that she was working undercover with Glenn on something, but I knew she would've told me about it if she was. I was running out of options when the most obvious one hit me. _Rynn_! She might have gone over there; she did sometimes go for the night, returning the next morning. My heart quailed a little bit at this thought; I knew why she would visit Cormel, and it made me jealous and heavy hearted thinking that that might be what she was doing. Regardless, I needed to at least rule out that she was there. I would need to be circumspect about it, as I didn't want Cormel knowing she was missing; he would do rash things in order to recover Ivy. We were his pet project; he needed us both alive and well to continue working on keeping vampire souls in their body after death.

I really didn't want to speak to Cormel directly, as I really doubted I could effectively lie to him, even over the phone. I knew plenty of people that worked at his home base, where Piscary's Pizza used to be. I planned on calling into the main line, hoping to get someone I knew. Tony would know if Ivy had shown there; I hoped he was working tonight. As I hit the speed dial ( _Thank you, Ivy!_ ), I whispered to Jenks whom I was calling. He was waving his arms back and forth in a no motion, but I knew I needed to rule out Ivy being at Cormel's. I heard the phone pick after the second ring; Tony's voice greeted me. Yes! "Hey Tony, it's Rachel. I was trying to get a hold of Ivy; she went out but left her cell phone here. Did she go over there by chance?"

Tony hesitated a moment, before going all quiet. "Is Ivy in trouble? I ain't seen her, but I don't wanna hold back info from Mr. Cormel if she's in trouble." _Crap!_ I knew I was a lousy liar, but I had hoped I could fool Tony over the phone, at least.

"No, Tony, she's just late for a run, and I need to chew her out over it. No worries, okay?" I tried to act as confident as I could, but if this went on too much longer, I knew that I would start sounding fake. _Please take my word, please take my word!_

A moment of silence went by; I guessed that Tony needed time to mull it over. Tony was a really sweet guy for a vamp, but dumber than a bag of hammers. "OK, Rachel. If I see her, I will tell her to call you, sound good?" Thankfully, it sounded like he bought my story. I almost sighed in relief before catching myself. That wouldn't have been good.

"Thanks, Tony, you're a doll! Bye now." I hung up the phone, relieved that I managed to pull that out. The breath that Jenks had been unconsciously holding was released when the call ended. He looked at me, radiating an anger that belied his size.

"Tink's knickers, Rache, we don't want Rynn involved! If he gets involved, you know he'll bring in the Tamwoods, and Momma Tamwood would be mighty pissed off! Probably wouldn't care who she would take her rage out on. Damn it, witch; think before you act next time! Would it kill you to talk to me first before you jump?"

I sighed. Jenks could be might annoying on occasions; trouble is, he was often right. We **didn't** want Rynn or the Tamwoods involved. If Ivy really was in trouble, which I was more and more believing, then the city would be turned upside down in search for her. Rival camarillas would undoubtedly be blamed, and turf wars might start. This could be really bad. Really, really bad. We really needed to keep this on the down low for as long as possible.

"I'm sorry, Jenks. It was just Tony; he knows us. I doubt he suspects a thing is wrong. I know it would be extremely bad if it got out that Ivy was missing. That's why I tried to make my conversation sound like normal. The fewer people know that Ivy is missing, the less chances that something catastrophic will go wrong. I promise you, I am not telling anyone anything besides Glenn right now. I just can't sit here and do nothing, like Glenn wants me to. You know?"

Jenks was still angry at me; he didn't like Rynn ( _nor did I_ ) and wanted no part of the vamp master involved in this. I couldn't blame him; while he was very slick, Rynn was also very conceited. Rynn would take it upon himself to personally oversee the investigation, undoubtedly getting the IS involved. As I could personally attest, the IS cared less about doing the job and more about covering things up. I had no faith that they would be in any ways helpful right now.

"Anyway, at this point, I'm guessing that a trip to see our new favorite lawyer will soon be occurring. My having to leave for the night, and all of a sudden Ivy goes missing? A little bit too coincidental in my opinion. Sébastien is behind this, I am certain. And, as Davidson is our only real contact and source for information, we need another chat with her. You coming?"

"You bet your sweet ass I'm coming. Nobody messes with our family! I'll pix her until she's ready to tell everything!"

I smiled at Jenks, glad that I could count on him, as usual. Having a goal brought him back to himself, with which I was relieved. My thoughts turned to Ivy, hoping she was okay. I couldn't let myself get bogged down in despair; Ivy needed our help. Getting caught up in feelings of hopelessness and helplessness wouldn't do her or myself any good right now. We've both been in bad situations, and we haven't lost yet. We could overcome this, I knew.

I hurriedly took a shower. I really didn't want the burnt amber stench following me around all day. I had issues dealing with people normally; smelling like a demon would make it impossible. After toweling off, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a green blouse that Ivy had purchased for me. I quickly dressed, feeling more confident that we could make a difference. Ivy had been there for us so many times, I had lost track. Now it was my time to be there for her.

Grabbing my bag, I made sure that my splat gun was loaded for bear. From the kitchen window, I could hear Jenks talking to Belle in the backyard, undoubtedly assuring that his kids would be well cared for while he was gone. I could swear that the old pixie was getting sweet on the fairy, which he would probably be the first to deny. _I guess denials of love are fairly common in this house._ This made me want Ivy back even more; our relationship had just started, and I was eager to see it bloom. I was trying my hardest to not just jump in full force, but it was really hard to. My childhood days, when it seemed like each day might be my last, had impressed upon me the desire to live each day to its fullest. I didn't like waiting on something when something might never come. I was trying to learn patience, but it was hard.

Jenks flew in, nodding his head in readiness. I tucked my splat gun into the back of my jeans. _Time for a little cross examination_ , I thought eagerly.

I was still waiting in the car in the hotel garage. We had already determined that the office building was closed on the weekends, so Davidson was either out (which would complicate matters) or she was in her hotel room (which was what we were hoping for). Davidson was staying at the 21C Museum Hotel, which was one of the nicest hotels in Cincinnati. While it couldn't compare to others like the Waldorf Astoria or the Four Seasons, it was definitely one of the best that Cincinnati had to offer. It wasn't too surprising to find that she was staying here. Looking at myself, I determined that I was severely under dressed for even entering the hotel, let alone a stay there.

I had asked Jenks to check the perimeter to make sure that there were no FIB or IS agents hanging around, or anyone else who might be watching the building. We had passed by a few people sitting in their cars; while that wasn't a sure sign of an undercover agent, it did rouse my suspicions that they were. I really did not want my presence getting back to Glenn right now; he was probably taking Ivy's disappearance pretty hard, so there was no telling how he would react, knowing that I went against his implicit instructions. I didn't think he would be that angry, as it wasn't his style, but strenuous circumstances can try even the most patient person. I just didn't want to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, which probably meant that I was silently screaming 'Look at me!' I was watching the elevator to the hotel, as we were in an underground garage. My attention was so focused there, I didn't even notice when something flew into the car at fast speed. I struggled to move towards my door while vainly attempting to pull my splat gun before I noticed it was Jenks. "Geez, Jenks, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I quieted down, noticing that he had a finger over his lips.

He took a look over his shoulder before he whispered to me, "Get down! I just saw Glenn's car coming here. He got the same bright idea that you did, to grill this lawyer chick until she talks. If you don't want him to see you, get down!"

I scooted down in my seat, hearing the approaching car. I didn't hold out much hope of not being noticed; I was driving Ivy's car, which Glenn would probably know on sight. I still hadn't replaced my beloved red convertible yet; a dwindling income put a huge damper on my spending habits. I probably shouldn't have parked so close to the elevator as well, but there was nothing to be done about it now. As if it could make a difference, I found myself holding my breath, as I heard a car door open and close nearby. Footsteps, heading towards the elevator of the hotel, were closing in. They suddenly stopped for a moment, before I heard them start again, coming my way. I heard a knock at the window, glancing up to see a disapproving stare coming from Glenn.

I rolled the window down, ready to receive a dressing down from the FIB detective. I knew that I had gone against his wishes, but I am sure that he knew I wouldn't just do anything. Sighing inwardly, I decided to speak up, as it didn't appear he was ready to start in on me. "I'm sorry, Glenn. I know you wanted me to stay put, and I said that I would, but I need to know that Ivy is safe. I'm sure you feel the same way. She is important to both of us, so can't we just work together here?"

Glenn shook his head as he sighed heavily. He looked off into the distance, as if pondering the best way to handle this. Glenn, like Ivy, was a planner. I was a surprise that he didn't need or want right now, but I was here, so he was deciding how to deal with me. Looking back at me, he shook his head again. I was sure that he was about to send me home when he said, "Fine. Come along, but stay out of the way and don't say anything."

Relieved, I exited the car after rolling the windows up, holding the door for Jenks to accompany us. I made sure to lock Ivy's car; I would never hear the end of it if her car was stolen. Smiling sadly, I would just be happy to hear her yell at me right now. We fell into step with Glenn, entering the elevator together. There was another FIB agent along with us, whom I didn't recognize. This wasn't too surprising, as Glenn was the designated Inderlander contact. All our dealings and runs went through him, so I rarely dealt with any other FIB agent.

We made our way to the hotel lobby, to verify that Davidson was still in residence. I hung back, not wanting my presence to disrupt any questioning that Glenn needed to do. I had found out the hard way that people tended to clam up when a shunned witch was present. Even though the shunning had been reversed by the Council, people were still reluctant to talk to me. Glenn was successful at getting the attention of the hotel manager, a middle aged, balding man who seemed to be quite cooperative with the FIB. _A nice change of pace; someone cooperative for a change._ When Glenn turned to me, there was a frown on his face. I guessed that our lawyer friend had flown the coop.

"Davidson checked out early this morning. No messages left at the front office for anyone. The maid hasn't been by yet, so the manager agreed to let us in to see if anything got left behind." Glenn looked pensive at this, but carried on. "I don't really expect to find anything; they have been too good at covering their tracks to let a slip up occur. Come up with us; maybe you or Jenks will see something that we miss."

We rode up the elevator with the manager. He tried to make small talk with us, but gave up soon after. None of us were in the mood to exchange pleasantries with the man; he could probably sense the bad mood coming off of all of us. We finally reached the 14th floor, which held some of the larger suites in the hotel. _Sébastien apparently pays well for his hired help,_ I thought. We approached room 1408, the manager opening with his key card and stepped aside to allow us to enter.

Despite the fact that the maid had yet to come here, the room itself was in very nice order. The main room was tidy, nothing seemingly out of place. The view from the living room was magnificent; you could see a lot of downtown Cincy from up here. There were two bedrooms, one on each side of the main room. It seemed a little odd for Davidson to have a suite with two bedrooms but I guess that appearances had to be kept up.

Glenn headed to one bedroom, while the fellow FIB officer started looking through the common area, which included the living room and kitchenette. Jenks zoomed over to the other bedroom, with me quickly behind. There was a made bed in it; I couldn't bother to make my own bed at home, so I couldn't understand why someone would make up a hotel bed. Jenks was zipping about the room quickly; satisfied that there was nothing to be found, he took off to another room. Despite essentially being given the all clear by Jenks, I looked through the various drawers. There was nothing out of the ordinary there; just the standard Gideon bible, a television channel listing, and hotel telephone directory. I even took time to look under the bed, but all I could see were a few small dust bunnies.

I started at the sound of Glenn's voice; he had called out my name. I went back out to the common area to see if he had found something. He was holding up what looked to be an old style flip cell phone in his hand with a yellow sticky note on it. Jenks was buzzing nearby, undoubtedly smelling the phone to ensure that there were no spells or curses present. I went over to Glenn so I could see what was written on the note. Without a word, he handed the phone to me. The note simply stated:

 _Deliver to Rachel Morgan Vampiric Charms_

I looked to Glenn, who simply shrugged at me. Apparently he had no idea what to make of this either. I flipped open the phone, to find a single contact number present in the address book. I showed it to Glenn. "They apparently knew that we would try to talk to Davidson. This is now our only lead; I have to call this. You have to admit that this is where we are going to find Ivy. They aren't expecting anyone else to call on this." Glenn looked like he wanted to argue but nodded in acquiescence.

I punched the call button and heard it ring twice. The line picked up but there was no answer at first. Irritated, I snapped out, "You wanted Rachel Morgan, so you got her. What in the Turn do you want with me?"

A male voice chuckled on the other end. "Why, simply you, Ms. Morgan. I just desired to see if we could arrange a meeting between us." I could sense the arrogance in his voice, despite the jocularity he spoke with. His accent was hard to place, but he spoke clearly and annunciated his words correctly. It reminded me of managers and CEOs that I had dealt with in the past. "We are meeting now with Ms. Tamwood and were so hoping that we could have both of you over for a sit down. I understand that your schedule must be very busy to try to change at the last minute, but I'm afraid that I do insist that I become a priority."

Anger boiled within me. This was the bastard who kidnapped Ivy, and undoubtedly sent his people to hurt my friends and family. "I'm guessing that the smug son of a bitch on the phone with me is the one and only Sébastien, poking his nose into places it shouldn't be."

"Now, now," said the male voice patronizingly, "there's no need for incivility. And yes, this is Sébastien." He was still speaking calmly and rationally, which ticked me off even further. "As of recent events, we find ourselves at cross purposes, and I want to end any hostilities between the two of us. However, I do not wish to discuss this on the phone, what with you having the FIB beside you. You can understand that this could give off certain impressions to myself, and I might believe that you are attempting something dramatic and ultimately foolish.

"Let me be clear on this: I wish you to come alone to a meeting with me. As in no FIB, no IS, or the like. If we sense that you have broken this trust with us, then our discussions with Ms. Tamwood will become more serious. Are you understanding this fully, Ms. Morgan?" His tone spoke magnitudes; he was used to getting his way on his terms.

I bristled at the thought of this lowlife putting his hands on Ivy. The not-so-veiled threats just strengthened my resolve to put this scum into the ground. "Fine, I understand. Let me be clear now: if you have harmed one hair on her head, I will drag you to the Ever After and drop you there for all the demons to play with. Do you understand me?"

Again a chuckle erupted from his lips. _Evidently he doesn't take me seriously._ "Ah, delightful to the end. The address and meeting time will be texted to you on this phone. We expect to see no one but you anywhere nearby, so be smart for once, Ms. Morgan. More than your life depends upon it." A click then dead air let me know that he had ended the call. I slammed the phone close, angered that the vamp got me to lose control.

Glenn's face was probably showing the same thing that mine was: anger and frustration. Jenks was giving off black dust, a much truer indicator of his emotions than anything he could say. My first instinct, that first driving impulse was to go down to this place, guns blazing. I wanted the scum sucking, brain addled numb nuts to feel the same pain that I was. No…that's what he wants me to do.

I couldn't play into their game. They've already shown that they know how we operate. They expected me to jump in impulsively, that I would decide that I alone could save Ivy. It would be so typical of me to run in haphazardly, with no thought of a plan or any kind of course of action. Even now, I was still feeling the urge to burn out of here, riding to Ivy's rescue. I had to think of a plan, while making it look like I didn't have a plan. I couldn't have them thinking that there was anything different about me, that I was acting as expected.

I had come to a prior conclusion that undead vamps weren't big on change. Both Piscary and Cormel were big on keeping the status quo, on maintaining what they were used to. I guessed that, being as they are unable to form new emotions or attachments, everything seemed the same to them, just different people. I know; two vamps don't make me an expert or anything, but I was willing to bet that Sébastien had the same blind spot. And as all living vamps trip over themselves and bend backwards to satisfy their masters, none of them would dispute his ideas of how things should be.

Their surveillance of us might be their undoing. They are probably so sure on how I will act, that I can surprise them. If I were to go in by myself, I would be relying on ley line magic and my splat gun, as much as possible. Maybe some demon curses as well, but, for the most part, it would just be me. I needed to change things up, and the man in front of me might be the answer.

"Glenn, I'm going to need your help on this. Sébastien has Ivy at a location and wants to meet with me, alone. I'm sure if we went in with the FIB, Ivy would be killed. So, I have to play ball. They are going to be expecting all my normal tricks; is there something that you have that could give me an advantage over them?"

Glenn looked at me intensely; I could swear he was about to break down. What I was asking of him was to relinquish control of this to me, to take a step back from this. It went against everything he was, so I knew I was asking a lot of him. He took a deep breath, answering, "Rachel, this is no time to be playing Lone Ranger. I can mobilize a strike force to take them out; it's possible that the IS will want to be involved as well. Why risk Ivy's life over this?" There was a pleading look in his eyes, a desperation that he be allowed to do something.

My heart broke over this, as Glenn looked incredibly lost right now. Despite the fact that Ivy had recently left him, he still harbored deep emotions for her. To ask him to leave Ivy's safety in my hands was almost too much; my track record didn't look the greatest, even though I usually came out on top. It wasn't enough of an assurance; he needed more. I hoped what I had to say was enough.

"Glenn…Matthew. I know how much you are hurting right now; I feel the same. I know you want nothing more than to make sure that Ivy is safe. If anybody else shows up beside myself, she could be hurt. I know you don't want that, but I also know that you don't want to feel helpless. Help me. Find me something that they aren't expecting. I can make sure that she is safe, but not without your help. Please help me help Ivy."

Glenn raised his hands to the top of his head, turning around and exhaling noisily. He paced around the room, mulling over what I had asked. I could tell that he wanted nothing more than to be punching whatever was making him feel helpless. He dropped his hands once more to his side, turned back to me, and shook his head with impotent rage. "Let's go to my car; I think I may have something that can help."

The journey down the elevator was in silence, which I was grateful for. Jenks had landed on my shoulder and was thankfully remaining quiet right now. Glenn was still looking upset, so I didn't dare try talking to him right now. I didn't need Glenn changing his mind; we needed to get this plan in gear, as the longer we delayed, the more impatient Sébastien might become. Plus, I needed to keep up appearances in regards to my behavior. I needed to get home and get ready for a confrontation that they were expecting me to make.

Arriving once more in the underground garage, we made our way to Glenn's car. He went straight to the trunk, opening it. I was both impressed and scared by what I saw there; Glenn basically had an armory in his car. Jenks whistled appreciatively at the assortment of weapons in front of him. Guns of all sorts were present: smaller hand guns and rifles and at least one shotgun. He had several devices that I couldn't even begin to guess what they were. Some sort of looked like grenades, but I wasn't sure. Yes, I led a sheltered life in some aspects; when you are used to using magic in all situations, human weapons just didn't seem as important or practical.

I shrugged my shoulders to Glenn; I'm not sure if he expected me to grab a big gun like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, but that just wasn't me. "Glenn, that's a **lot** of guns, but I have my splat gun already. What good would they do me?" I had done some practice shooting with a handgun before, in my IS days, but it was really just to better my aim with my sleepytime potions.

Glenn smiled roughly, ignoring the guns to pull out a small metal tube with a round key inserted into it; what I had guessed was a grenade. He handed it over to me. "Flash bang grenade. Pull the pin and toss it; it gives off a very bright light and loud sound that can disorient anyone. It will blind anyone looking at it for about 5 or so seconds, leaving an afterimage that can cause aiming issues. The sound disrupts the inner ear, causing anyone nearby to feel dizzy. I'm guessing that vampires will have it even worse, with their superior senses.

"One should be enough for you. Toss it in, wait a few seconds, then jump in. It's very important that you have some kind of door between you and the flash bang, or else the sound or light will get to you too. No need in giving them any advantage; they already have it."

I wordlessly took the grenade, carefully placing it in my bag. Jenks was apparently happy at the prospect of using a grenade, even though I was reluctant to use anything non-magical. I nodded at Glenn, knowing that he could get into trouble over misplaced equipment. Hopefully having his father as captain would allow that to slide. I knew it ultimately didn't matter to Glenn; he would do anything to ensure Ivy's safe return. "Thanks Glenn. I will bring her home." Nothing else seemed appropriate to say right now. It was time to get ready for to face Sébastien. _Time to face the lion in its den.'_

Jenks and I headed back to the church first, as I would need to stock up on some items. Jenks took off to check on his kids and give out orders in regards to the safety of the church, while I turned to the kitchen to address what I would need. I already had plenty of sleepytime potions made, so I just needed to grab spares for my splat gun. I activated two fresh pain amulets; I really didn't need my migraine to flare up while in the middle of battle. I kind of doubted that they would allow a time out to address my pain needs.

The last thing I really felt would be useful was the strength potion. Luckily Ivy had picked up that ox blood in the fridge; it showed how much she cared for me, that she would remember this and get it for me. This potion just might be a life saver. Besides Jenks, I would be the weakest person in the room, and I needed to be able to balance that out if things didn't go smoothly. I chuckled to myself, thinking, _it's me; of course it won't go smoothly_. I really would've liked Ivy's input on this; her almost anal need to plan out every little thing would probably be really good right now. I think she would be proud of even the few planning steps I had already made about this.

I got started on brewing the strength potion, once I found the recipe again in my book. It was pretty straight forward, so it didn't take long to make. I was still a little concerned about the very temporary quality of it; I hoped 5 minutes would be enough to save my skin if needed. Despite all the precautions I was taking, I had no illusions as to how dangerous this was going to be. I just trusted that my surprises would be enough to keep Ivy (and myself) alive.

Jenks flew in as I was activating the strength curse; soon enough it was bottled and ready to go. I noticed Jenks was sporting his sword, undoubtedly ready to fight where needed. In any other circumstance, I would be happy to have him fighting by my side; I knew how deadly pixies could be. Unfortunately, he was not going to be happy about what I had to ask him.

"Jenks." He could tell by my voice that I was being serious, so he alighted down on the kitchen counter, looking at me expectantly. "I know you want to fight, and there's nobody I would want watching my back there more than you. I need you to do something else for me, though: you need to find and free Ivy."

"Tink's botched boob job, Rachel, you expect me to leave you to fight Hell knows how many vampires there alone? There's no way you can take them by yourself, despite Glenn's little surprise." During his tirade, he had once again started flying, but in an agitated and chaotic way. It was getting a little dizzying trying to keep my eyes on his.

"Jenks! Please stay still, you are making my head hurt worse." Jenks once again settled down, allowing my brain to start acting more like normal. _Thankfully all of my pain amulets are super strong; there would be no way I'd be able to do this otherwise_. "Jenks, I'm going to be honest. I don't think we can win this, except if we get Ivy's help. **There's going to be a master vampire present.** I expect that he left his Scion back in charge at Columbus, so that's one less concern. Whatever other vamps that are there, living or undead, will be cake walks next to Sébastien.

"I'd have to guess that they know about my unclaimed scar, so I'm expecting that they will use pheromones against me. I'm hoping that the flashbang will be enough of a distraction that I can nail them all with my splat gun, but I have no idea how much time I will have before they recover. Once the pheromones hit me, I am pretty much done. It's hard enough resisting a living vampire; an undead master will be next to impossible.

"This is why I need you to go after Ivy. She's our ace in the hole. I'm going to do everything I can, but she is going to be the one who saves us. That's what I am asking of you, Jenks; to get Ivy free so that you both can rejoin the fight."

Jenks slowly nodded, a huge smile coming onto his face. "Damn witch, Ivy is finally rubbing off on you!" He cackled, despite the seriousness of the moment. "I knew she would be a good influence on you; I just didn't expect it that fast. I get it, Rache. After the flashbang goes off, I will hightail it to Ivy to get her free as quick as possible. Hopefully the lunkers will be down before we get back, but we will be there for you."

I smiled for him, glad that he had overcome his guilt enough to be able to fight with me. I wasn't feeling very brave myself; I was very frightened that I would lose Ivy. Despite my bravado, I often felt that my victories came at high prices. Keasley and Skimmer were just two of the most recent casualties that seemed to follow me around. I didn't want to add Ivy's name to that list. I just wanted Ivy to be free and safe; my safety didn't matter as much.

Going to my bedroom, I stripped out of my jeans and shirt, grabbing my leathers. I knew that this would get dicey, so I wanted the best protection I could get. My normal big bag was going to be a hindrance; I wanted to bring the bare necessities to this. I grabbed a smaller bag from Ivy's closet that I had noticed before; it was the perfect size for the flashbang, the extra potions, and the vial of the strength curse. I tucked the pain amulets under my shirt, hopefully to keep them away from any stray hits. I fixed my hair into a bun on the back, checked my splat gun one last time, and nodded to Jenks. The meeting time was rapidly approaching; best to get this show on the road.

Fifteen minutes later found Jenks and me approaching the designated address. Surprise, surprise, it was in an abandoned warehouse in Cincy's industrial area. _Why can't these clowns ever be in a nice, posh neighborhood_? Shaking my head, I pulled into the deserted parking spaces in front of the building. The signs that used to announce the name of the company were long gone, a victim of time or vandalism. The building was like so many others in this area: skeletons of a time gone by. The population was starting to recover from the Turn; maybe one day these buildings might see use again. For now, though, they were often used by the unsavory elements in the city, in an effort to stay unseen. The IS and FIB never came out here unless they had solid evidence; too many agents would disappear if they came alone.

No other cars were in the front of the building; my guess is that they were parked in the rear or in some kind of garage. It made me a little nervous, as the amount of cars and their size would at least give me an idea on how many vamps to expect. I briefly entertained the idea of walking the perimeter of the building to see what I could see. Unfortunately, I wouldn't get the chance to investigate, as I saw a familiar figure come out of double doors on the front. Jenks bristled when he saw the approaching person.

"Bunch of damn bloodthirsty vamps hanging around, so naturally there's a lawyer present." We exited the car, watching Ms. Davidson pause in front of the doors. I felt nothing more than annoyance at her presence; she was probably the welcoming committee, and I had no desire to chit chat or exchange pleasantries. I'm sure she had some nice speech prepared, but I wasn't buying. As Jenks and I were walking towards her, I pulled out my splat gun from my waistband and popped her with a sleepytime potion. As the lawyer collapsed to the ground, I turned and grinned widely at Jenks, who proceeded to laugh his butt off at it. It may not mean anything in the long run, but a win is a win in my book.

As we moved past the dozing lawyer to enter the building, I started spindling ley line energy up. I wanted to be ready for anything. There was a living vamp just inside the door; Jenks flew quickly up to him as a distraction. Another quick hiss of my splat gun, and he was down as well. So far so good; I didn't really expect my luck to hold, but I wasn't going to beg trouble either.

The electricity was flowing to the building, as was evidenced by the flickering fluorescent lights. I guessed that they had a generator somewhere on premises. We were in a long hallway, double doors on the end with side entrances. Nothing seemed particularly clean, so I doubted this was a main base of operations. _Probably brought me out to the middle of nowhere to avoid notice_ , I mused. I nodded to Jenks, who flew ahead to check the side doors. The double doors ahead were chain locked, so I doubted that was where we were headed. Jenks stopped at one of the side entrances; I caught up to him to see a set of stairs going down.

Jenks flew down to my ear, sitting on my earring there. He whispered into my ear, "Definitely vamps downstairs. No idea how many, but I'm guessing they probably heard your splat gun. I'll go and distract again, follow up behind me." I nodded to Jenks, trying to keep the noise level down to a minimum. He took off down the stairs; I quickly heard two different voices swearing at the nimble pixie. I tried to quietly go down the stairs as fast as I could; if Jenks could keep them occupied a few seconds longer, we would be golden.

The next level opened up into a large work area, with several doors leading off of it. The room was mostly empty, save a few chairs surrounding a lone table. Two vamps were swinging wildly at Jenks, both sporting gashes on their faces from his sword. Leave it to Jenks to utterly piss off someone so much that they didn't pay attention to anything else. I carefully took aim at them, squeezing off one shot after the other to lay these dunce heads out. As I went to check on them, Jenks quickly flew around, checking the other doors before stopping at double doors on the far side of the floor. He hovered there a moment before flying back to my side. He settled himself once more on my earring.

"Rachel, there are several vampires behind those doors. I can smell both living and undead ones. Ivy's there too." My heart felt lighter at his words; I knew he would be able to discern the smell of Ivy from different living vampires just simply because of long term exposure to her scent. I nodded my understanding at his words; I then mimed an explosion, which he nodded to. We moved over to the doors, not attempting to hide our movements. Undead vampires, with their even further advanced hearing over living vamps, would have heard us already. I paused at the door, pulling out the flashbang grenade.

I took a deep breath. The next minute or two was going to be huge, and I wanted to be sure I moved as fast as I could. I nodded to Jenks, who moved behind the door. I pulled the pin, yanked the door open, threw the grenade, and slammed the door shut. A few cries came up before I heard the loudest sound I had ever heard come from within. I could hear ringing in my ears, and I had the benefit of the door between us. I smiled viciously, hoping it was as painful for them as possible.

I threw the door open, saying, "Go Jenks!" I followed swiftly behind, assessing the situation as I ran in. There were seven total vampires in the room, one near the end of the room in a large, almost throne-like chair, who I assumed was Sébastien, and three on either side of the room. All save the one on the end were currently on the floor, their hands covering their ears. Sébastien had slumped in his chair, his head down almost to his knees. The shock of the flashbang had made them all drop their weapons, all of which were varieties of handheld weapons. Tons of swords, daggers, and the like; I didn't see any type of gun, which I was thankful for.

I quickly started shooting the vamps with sleepytime potions, to ensure that they were out of the way. It felt a little too easy, like the proverbial fish in a barrel, but I wasn't complaining. One by one, the hiss of my splat gun sounded out, indicating another was down for the count. The last vamp, an undead by the look of it, was starting to come around as I shot at him. It barely missed, so I let loose a blast of ley line energy to knock him down. The second shot nailed him. That just left Sébastien.

Sébastien was a lot different than I expected him to be. His voice had me pegging him as a business type, so I expected the short haircut, the three piece suit, and the like. I wasn't expecting a shaggy, long haired, hippy type. I mean, he actually wears glasses! He almost looked like a picture I saw of John Lennon, save for the goatee he was sporting. The jeans, t shirt, and vest simply completed the picture of him being a child of the 60s.

I quickly reloaded my splat gun. Turning towards Sébastien, who was struggling to his feet, I shot twice at him. Unfortunately, both my shots against him missed. He was still showing signs of dizziness, but his speed was keeping him away from my shots. I hit him with the last of my reserve ley line energy, but it barely knocked him down. He got to his feet almost instantly, avoiding yet another shot. I shoved my gun into my waistband, knowing that it was time for the strength curse. I pulled out the potion and drank it, whispering " _mihi vires_ ". I silently accepted the imbalance when it hit, just in time to see Sébastien come up to me, hatred plain on his face. A wave of pheromones hit me like a brick wall.

He quickly grabbed my throat, lifting me from the ground with ease. "Run out of tricks, have we, Ms. Morgan? You'll find that I am made of sterner stuff than these simple lackeys." His hands were tightening around my throat; I was beginning to feel the effects of being cut off from air when a warmth spread throughout my body. The crushing sensation I had been feeling just seconds earlier starting feeling more like a strong embrace than a life ending grip. His pheromones, which had almost been suffocating, now retreated to levels that I could handle. I smirked at Sébastien, easily loosening his fingers away from my neck.

The master vamp looked at me incredulously, confusion etched on his face. Not wanting to waste a moment, I quickly hit him straight on the nose. I pulled away, giving the space to be able to maneuver freely. Sébastien quickly shook off my hit and started regarding me more warily now, slowly going into a fighting stance. All the various lessons from Ivy during our many sparring sessions flew through my mind, but I discarded them at once. I couldn't plan on this fight lasting long, so I needed to take the initiative. Right now I felt energized enough to fight for hours; I just couldn't forget that my strength wouldn't go the distance.

I charged at him, swinging my fist towards his head, hoping he would fall for that. I had planned to do a sweep immediately afterwards; keeping him off his feet would hopefully end the fight faster. Unfortunately, he anticipated the sweep; he easily blocked my swing, jumping above my sweeping legs. He kicked out at me, but I was able to tumble away from his reach. I got to my feet, moving once again to engage Sébastien in close quarters. The stupid vamp had an idiotic grin on his face; maybe he felt the need to play with his food first.

We traded blows, both of us scoring hits. I had ducked under his lunge, punching him in the ribs, but he had returned a quick blow to my back, knocking me down. I rolled, avoiding the stomp aimed for my head. I flipped back to my feet, landing a quick kick to his side. The brief grimace on his face was indicative of my hitting a sensitive spot, but he recovered to launch a flurry of blows against me. The amusement of the fight had worn out apparently; he began using his vamp speed to land hit after hit on me. I was trying to block as best as I could, but he would then aim for my unprotected areas.

The strength potion had raised my durability as well, but it felt like the punches were more and more damaging as time went by. _Crap_. I knew my luck was almost out; Sébastien could undoubtedly see the fatigue and pain in my face. His blows started to slow, coming to a complete stop after a punch to my midsection left me crumpled on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Well, well, well," Sébastien chuckled, "I almost felt a challenge from you. Some magic, no doubt, to enhance you? I'm guessing you are feeling its absence now." I managed to bring myself to a standing position again, but the pain was almost unbearable. I had the two pain amulets on me, which were working overtime to kill as much pain as possible. Still I was feeling the hits I had taken; the amulets could only do so much. "I knew you would come alone. You are so predictable, Ms. Morgan. Well, the flashbang grenade was a surprise, I give you that, but you still felt the need to do this yourself. Granted, I would have killed Ms. Tamwood if you had shown up with anyone else, so I guess you had no choice after all, hmmm?"

I took a moment to glance around the room, finally seeing Ivy in the corner. There were chains attached to the wall, but Ivy seemed to be slowly moving away from it. _Jenks did it_! I just needed to keep him occupied long enough for her to get away. I needed his attention on me. "Well, I really didn't want her to have to deal with your bad breath any more than she had to. Maybe try using a toothbrush occasionally? Probably need to see a dentist as well; that smell coming out of your mouth must mean something has to be rotting there."

A low growl erupted from Sébastien; another hammer blow hit my midsection. Again I struggled to breath, the air forced out of my lungs from his fists. Only the fact that I had been leaning against the wall kept me upright. I once again glanced quickly towards Ivy, who didn't appear to be leaving. She had a horrified expression on her face. _Ivy, please go!_ I pled with my eyes for her to leave before Sébastien's face blocked my view of her.

I knew I needed to buy more time still, so it was time to up the ante. "You done hitting me with love taps? I thought undead vamps were supposed to be strong, but it's felt more like I was boxing with a 4 year old…"

Another growl came from the vampire master. I braced myself for another blow, one that never came. I looked at him; he was carefully studying my face. "Ms. Morgan, I really have no more time for games. I can appreciate a challenge, but you've cost me too much time and money. You've been an annoyance, one that has come time to be dealt with. Please know your sacrifice now will help me; perhaps you can feel your little life was not entirely worthless."

With that, I felt a flood of pheromones hit me. I had been able to withstand them so far, but he was now letting loose with everything he had. I felt the desire to refuse him crumbling away under the onslaught of his aura. A moan escaped my lips; my old scar flared to life with a burning intensity. I knew what was coming, but I could do nothing to stop it; in fact, I was almost welcoming it.

I felt his icy cold fangs pierce the flesh of my neck, which I had bared to him from a wanton desire for his bite. The short lived pain followed by the rich pleasure of his saliva caused my body to seize up in longing. I felt him drawing my blood away, but I could refuse him nothing. I hated that this was happening to me, but, at the same time, I didn't want this feeling to end, this sensation that was so overwhelming to my senses. I closed my eyes, lost in the ecstasy of his bite.

I felt Sébastien shudder suddenly, his pulls on my blood ceasing. His fangs pulled from me, leaving me cold and bereft. I almost cried out in agony from the loss I felt. I opened my eyes to see what had caused this loss, only to see Sébastien spasming, a long piece of metal protruding from the side of his head. His hand reached up to touch the blade that had pierced his skull, as if in disbelief that it was even there. He fell to the ground like a marionette with cut strings, showing me Ivy standing directly behind him. _Ivy…my beautiful angel…_

"Rachel!" Ivy quickly came over to support me, as I almost tumbled to the ground. "Jenks, call for help! She's lost a lot of blood!" She gently lowered me to the floor, pressing up against me. I wanted to tell her that this wasn't the best place to cuddle, but my words came out too slurred for her to understand. The world seemed dim somehow, like it had become twilight all of a sudden. I turned back to Ivy, wanting to smile at the sight of her. It all felt like being in molasses, where each movement was three times as hard as it should be. It was quickly becoming darker still; I mumbled something to Ivy, knowing it was time for me to rest.

 **A/N: There will be one more chapter in this story, an epilogue to tie everything up**.


	9. Remembrance

**Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 9**

 **Disclaimer: I unfortunately didn't become a millionaire overnight, so these characters still belong to Kim Harrison. One day…**

 **Chapter 9**

 _One month later…_

I awoke to a cold bed. The emptiness of the bed was a reminder of what I was missing. I got up, slipping on my silk robe, its gentle caress yet another reminder of what I should be feeling if things were different. I shook my head, trying to clear it of the spider webs of sleep that still enshrouded it; perhaps coffee would help in waking me further.

I went to the bathroom, taking care of business before brushing my teeth. I trudged my way to the kitchen, half asleep. My nightmares still awoke me every night; nothing I had tried had made them any better. Time heals all wounds, but time had done nothing for me so far. I had to relive that moment every night.

I finally made my way to the kitchen, finding my way to the coffee machine. As always, it was ready to go, so I merely started the machine to make the heavenly liquid that made mornings more bearable. As I waited for the machine to dispense the desired liquid, I was confronted by the quietness present in the church. I wanted nothing more than to be distracted from the deafening silence that was haunting me right now. It used to be that the peacefulness that came from being alone in the church was a delight, but no longer. Now it just signaled what was missing.

I heard the front door open, the sound of footsteps in the sanctuary echoing throughout the spacious room. Ignoring the still brewing coffee, I rushed to the sanctuary, ready to confront the person entering. Gone were the last vestiges of sleep that had plagued me this morning; my blood was singing as I went through the doorway. I stopped, staring at the person who was divesting themselves of bags. Frustration quickly overcame me and readily noticed in my voice.

"Would it kill you to stay in bed until I wake up, or at least wake me before you leave?"

Ivy turned to me, amusement clearly showing on her face. "Good morning to you, too, dear heart. I'm so happy to see you as well." She crossed the room, closing in on me. Placing her arms around me, she embraced me, her head turned into my neck, her breath playing upon my ear. A shiver went through my body at the feeling, as it always did. "I didn't want to disturb you, love, as you hadn't been sleeping well. I want you to get the rest you need, even if means letting you sleep longer than normal." Her voice lowered to a whisper, care evident in her voice. "I wish I could take these nightmares away from you, Rache. It hurts me to see you so distraught from those memories."

I felt like a heel now. Here I was, ready to blame Ivy for leaving me alone, when all she had in mind was my best interests. Pretty typical of me; I'm too damn self-absorbed sometimes. I hugged her more firmly. "I'm sorry, Iv. I shouldn't have been frustrated with you. Thank you for thinking of me. I know that the past month hasn't been the easiest, but I hope it gets better, for both of our sakes." I pulled away, so as to look into my girlfriend's eyes. "I didn't have the dream last night. It did feel good to sleep in." _See? I could admit my feelings and thoughts now more openly with Ivy._

Ivy's eyes lit up at my words. "That is great!" Her hands came up to cup my cheeks, her head lowering to plant a sound kiss upon my lips. "I've been really worried about you, but this might mean that it's finally going away. I know, I know," she responded to the unsure look on my face, "it's just the once, but once is better than none." She vamp sped over to her bags, pulling out a rectangular box with a cellophane window on the top. "Celebratory pastries?"

I smiled, nodding. We headed to the kitchen together; at one point, Ivy had put her arm around my waist. At first, it had felt very possessive, but I had gotten used to it quickly. It felt good to belong to someone, even as it felt good knowing that Ivy belonged to me. We disengaged once in the kitchen, each going about a task without conferring with the other. Ivy went to grab plates, while I poured coffee for both of us. Even before we were dating, we had been roommates together for over two years. It was natural to have Ivy's presence in the kitchen while cooking; we became a well-oiled machine, anticipating each other's moves.

We sat ourselves down at the table, simply content to be in each other's company for the time being. Ivy went through her email while eating her first danish. She would more likely eat several more, her vamp metabolism burning off excessive calories better than an avid fitness freak. I pecked at my cinnamon roll, knowing full well how much running I would have to do to make up for the calorie count the roll. I sighed inwardly; life could be so unfair sometimes.

I looked over at Ivy again, taking in her beauty. We came so close to losing one another four weeks ago. She had lost some blood from vamp bites before I showed up; the fact that she could even walk after being freed by Jenks was pretty amazing. I lost a lot of blood too, but not nearly as much as Ivy. The fact that the strength potion wore at the time it did is why I just about face planted in front of Ivy. Naturally she panicked when I crashed; luckily Jenks was already on the phone with emergency services to get the help we both needed.

I ended up unconscious in a hospital bed for three days while they did blood infusions on me. I awoke with Ivy asleep on the bed with me, apparently having refused to leave my side during my stay. I understood why she did; we had just found each other, and she wanted to make sure she didn't lose me quite yet. Once I was able to awaken her, Ivy ran off to find Dr. Mape. Dr. Mape was satisfied with my progress, but wanted to verify that I could move around on my own before being released from the hospital. Before she could finish the sentence, I made my way to my feet and quickly regretted doing so. The room started spinning on me and I nearly collapsed. Luckily Ivy was able to grab me before I made a complete fool of myself. I tried several more times that day before finally satisfying Dr. Mape that I could maneuver around on my own.

We returned home, Ivy being in complete vamp nurturer mode. For those first few days, I wasn't allowed to do hardly anything myself. Ivy apparently felt that I was a total invalid and needed 24/7 care. She cooked and cleaned, doting on every whim, even when I yelled at her for being an overbearing mother figure. I knew she meant well, but we had been through this just a few weeks prior. It was old the last time, let alone this second time. On the plus side, she offered to help me clean myself during a bath or shower. I was more than happy to accept this, until I had been rebuffed multiple times for getting 'handsy'. She made it very clear that nothing would be happening until she had determined for herself that I had made a full recovery.

I wished that I could say that those incidents were the only times we argued. While I had managed to accept a lot of changes that had occurred in my life, there was still one area that I was very sensitive about: my independence, especially regarding finances. Whenever Ivy went out, she would always return with a gift for me, whether it was my favorite ice cream or a shirt she thought would look good on me. I was appreciative at first, but the more gifts I received, the less I liked Ivy for buying them. Yes, she is rich and doing well in her part of the runner business. Yes, she never rubbed these facts in my face, like a shallower person might. She never fished for compliments on these gifts. Still it rankled me.

Finally it came to a head one afternoon. We had made plans to go out the next night, as Ivy deemed me healed. She insisted on a proper date night before becoming involved ( _yet another delay_ ), but I was willing to wait for her. She waited years for me, a few days would be manageable on my part. She came back from a run with an opaque hanging bag, the excitement apparent on her face. She quickly handed me the bag and looked eagerly on as I opened it. Inside was a gorgeous midnight blue cocktail dress that I had admired the last time I was at the mall. She explained that she saw how much I wanted the dress, so she got it for me for our date the following night.

First off, the dress was, like I said, gorgeous. I had seen the quite expensive price, and knew that I won't be able to afford it anytime soon. I had a job, but nobody wanted to hire a no-longer-shunned shunned witch for anything. I got a few pity jobs from the FIB, but it wasn't even enough to cover my rent, let alone buy any clothing. So, when Ivy came in with that dress, it didn't represent a romantic night on the town; it represented all my money troubles and how she had to come to my rescue yet again. I blew up at her for her generosity. I accused her of lording her money over me, of making me feel like a poor person who lived only on the sufferance of those better off than they were. I wondered aloud at what she expected of me to pay her back for these things. When my tirade was finally over, I looked at her, waiting for her response. A single tear ran down her cheek before she fled to her room, closing the door forcefully. I knew I was wrong, but I was too angry still to admit it.

We fell back into old patterns, where we avoided each other and barely said anything to each other when we happened to be in the same room. I tried talking to her several times, but each time she would have a resigned yet fearful expression on her face, as if she was ready for the other shoe to drop. After a couple days of this, I realized that she was waiting for me to tell her that I didn't love her and wanted nothing to do with her. It seemed that she had decided that, since I had once again hurt her, she expected yet more pain from my careless actions. I knew it was up to me to fix this, as it was my fault that this happened in the first place.

That night she was out on a run. Her planning board indicated that it was a short recon, so she would be back before morning. I decided to wait for her in her room, to prevent her from having a place to escape me. I thought back on how much she had done for me. It sickened me to know that I had hurt her because of my pride. Ivy loved me enough that she would do anything for me; I had to prove that I would do the same for her. She had nothing to prove to me; I had already accepted the depth of her love.

As I sat on her bed thinking, I felt the air pressure in the church change, heralding Ivy's return. I heard nothing; Ivy was being silent to avoid disturbing me in what she thought was sleep. When she came to her bedroom doorway, she froze at the sight of me waiting for her. I could barely see her face, but she looked like a deer caught in headlights. I knew she would soon flee if I made any sudden movements towards her, the ingrained need to avoid me still present. I kept my voice calm as I addressed her.

"Ivy, please don't leave. I'm sorry Ivy. I'm so sorry." Seeing the fearful expressions on her face, I realized that my word choice was poor. "Ivy, please, I'm not sorry for loving you."

"What are you sorry for?" The question came out in just above a whisper; I almost had to ask her to repeat herself, which would have looked bad on me. The fear was still present in her voice, but it seemed to me that there was a note of hope there as well.

"Ivy, you went out of your way to show me how much you loved me. You took care of me when you didn't have to. You bought me things just for the simple fact that they would bring me joy. What did I do? I threw them back in your face." I took a deep breath, knowing that the hardest part was coming. It was hard for me to admit that I was wrong, especially when I knew that I was. "That wasn't fair to you, Ivy. You did nothing to deserve how I treated you. That's why I am sorry." Tears were starting to flow down my face, as I struggled to keep my voice straight. "It hurts me to feel like I am dependent on others, but it hurts me even more knowing that I hurt you, that I may have caused you to doubt my feelings for you. Please know this: I love you, Ivy Morgan, more than anyone I have ever loved. I can only hope that you can forgive me for my stupidity."

Ivy had started crying as well, but laughed at my last line. "I can always forgive you, dear heart. I love you more than life itself. You complete me; how can I stay mad at myself?" She came to sit on the bed by my side, interlinking our fingers together. With her other hand, she wiped the tears from my face, before gently brushing my lips with her own. "Rachel, I didn't mean to cause your independence to come into question. If you need me to take back any of the things I bought you, I will."

"No, sweetie, that's not necessary. I'm just so used to people thinking that they need to take care of me because I can't. I eventually realized that you weren't thinking that, that it was because of your love for me that you did these things for me. I know I would do the same things for you if the situation was reversed." I leaned in to give her a hug, the comfort her presence brought me making me understand how much an idiot I was for letting this get between us. "I can't promise that I won't do stupid things in the future; you know me too well to know that would be a lie." A large smile spread across her face as she fought to contain a giggle. "I do promise that my feelings for you will never change. I loved you too long, even when I was too chicken shit to admit it. I want you to be in my life, Ivy. The world makes more sense when you are by my side."

I pressed myself against her, my lips finding hers as if my life depended on kissing her right then and there. Too long had I hidden these feelings, these desires. Ivy's thoughts on waiting for a date night first were quickly cast aside, as hunger welled up between us for the other. That first time was like a summer storm, full of passion and unbridled lust. The strong emotions we were both feeling were fueling this outpouring of desire, a desire that chained each of us to the other. I had never felt as physically satisfied before with past lovers as I had with then with Ivy.

If that first time was a summer storm, then the second time, later that night, was like a spring shower, gentle and nurturing and soft. Goddess above, Ivy was a sex goddess. She knew how to evoke emotions and feelings from me, her every touch bringing joy and love to my heart. She found erogenous zones I didn't even know I had. I had always scoffed at those who said that having sex and making love were two different things, but Ivy made me a believer. Our first time was just sex, even though it was wonderful and exciting and thoroughly satisfying. The next? Ivy made love to me, the way she probably always wanted to. She worshipped every inch of my body. She was obviously a master at drawing out pleasure, which my body responded to with a passion that surprised even me.

What really cemented our relationship was the foundation of friendship that we already had with each other. My prior relationships were always races to the finish line, so to speak. Ivy and my relationship was built on the trust and friendship we had already formed. After the minor bump at the start, we settled into domestic bliss, as it were. Of course, we are just talking about three weeks of being girlfriends, so there was still plenty of time to test our love. ( _I hoped it wasn't me doing the testing; I had treated Ivy poorly enough for the rest of my life I ought to be drama free. Ivy had already told me that she didn't hold any bad feelings about my reluctance, and I believed her. Still, best not to take any chances._ )

Ivy was still taking runs, being busy enough for both of us. I monopolized her time when she was home; I felt like I had years of make up to do. We both enjoyed my version of making up; at least I heard no complaints from Ivy. As for me? Being a housewife may have been my one time dream, but reality has a way of dashing what we believed were our fondest desires. You can only watch so much TV before you feel your brain oozing out of your ears. I cleaned to keep busy, but it engaged me as much as the TV. I really focused on getting into better shape; not that I was a slouch or anything, but, in some respects, I felt a need to keep up with Ivy. My girlfriend was the epitome of feminine beauty; not only beautiful, but also seriously toned. Despite the fact that her vamp metabolism was capable of keeping her in fighting form, Ivy kept a pretty strict fitness regimen. It was almost unfair to us mere mortals.

With nothing else left to do, I resolved to redouble my efforts in finding a way for Ivy to keep her soul after death. None of the books I had in my meager library had any information on it. I had burned my bridges with Trent, so I knew that there was no way I would getting anything from me anytime soon. Other witches had large private libraries, but, as I was persona non grata to the witch community, those were out as well. That left the public and university libraries. I really doubted the public libraries would have anything that advanced within easy grasp of literally anyone, so I ruled that out pretty quickly.

After deciding to chance the university library, I disguised myself as best as I could to avoid being called out and kicked off of campus. I was able to browse through various texts on earth and ley line magics, but found nothing there. I had determined that the restricted section, open only to grad students with full permission given by their advisors, held the demonic texts that would be most helpful in my investigation. However, I had no idea how to get in there beyond that. Using my second sight, I saw the numerous wards that were in place, to deter any intrusion or theft. Sighing dejectedly, I realized that this was another dead end.

That left one viable option, which would involve pulling teeth to get his approval. Al still wasn't too pleased with me, despite the fact that I had already created the three tulpas I promised him, making him one of the richest demons in the Ever After. He still ranted and raved about what my disappearance had done to him, and how much I had to make it up to him. Asking any favors of Al right now would get me laughed at. Al was really concerned with what I could do for him right now; even though he had lived for over 5000 years, he was still a bit short sighted. He would want something now if I were to expect a favor from him. Considering with my lack of anything more magical I could give him, I offered to him the one thing he didn't have: me.

Of course, that meant an extra day in the Ever After with him every week. ( _What were you thinking? Ew! Get your mind out of the gutter!_ ) My proposal was to spend half the day doing curses for him, while I got the rest of the day to peruse his newly and hugely expanded library. His counter proposal was to include the making of more tulpas, as if he really needed the money right now. I agreed to create an additional tulpa, which he (rather begrudgingly) accepted. So, now I am going twice a week: Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Needless to say, Ivy was not pleased with this plan. When I proposed it to her ( _naturally going to her first before Al – I'm not that stupid_ ), she vehemently opposed it. She laid it out in no uncertain terms that Al couldn't be trusted, and putting myself into his hands so often was just a disaster waiting to happen. I knew how much she loved me and her need to be protective of my wellbeing. I said as much, letting her know how much I valued those feelings. I let her know that I was doing this for her, that I wanted to find out how to save her soul. Cormel be damned, I wasn't interested in saving vampire's souls, just a certain sexy vamp who meant the world to me.

Of course, telling Ivy this was absolutely the worst idea ever. I thought she was angry before, but now it reached new heights. Ivy was mortified that I was placing myself in danger for her sakes; that I was, in her eyes, sacrificing myself to make her life better. Words were spoken that I knew she didn't mean; it was the guilt speaking. Even after all the reassurances that I had been giving her, Ivy still regularly felt that she didn't deserve any good things in her life. Thinking of herself as a monster was so deeply ingrained in her mind. I had come to discover a sure fire way to beat these dark emotions, so I proceeded to seducing Ivy so she would drink my blood.

Sex with Ivy was always great and wonderful and quite often mind blowing, but the shared connection we felt when our auras merged during blood sharing triumphed over all. There's no real way to describe the deep emotional bond that formed between us; it was like we became one person, with nothing hiding between us. I was never very good at stating my emotions before, but I could express myself so much better when she could simply feel what I felt. Despite being told numerous times by Ivy that she loved me, I really felt it, like it was a tangible feeling. It sometimes was difficult to determine when my emotions ended and where Ivy's began.

These thoughts drove my behavior, as I wanted her to really feel what I felt for her. I needed to reinforce those thoughts to her on how much I valued and loved her. There was no way to lie, so she would know that my feelings were true. Once our auras merged, I pushed all my feelings of love and devotion to her, that she could see how much I held her in high regard. I could feel her fears and reluctance, so I enforced the idea that it wasn't just for her, but for us. Knowing that I could live a long life due to being a day walking demon, I wanted her, with her soul, by my side forever. I would still stay by her even if she had no soul, but it would be so much better to be with the woman I loved.

Ivy began sobbing, causing her to break contact with me. Our auras returned once more with each other, Ivy still clinging to me with a ferocity that was tender and protective. I let her cry, knowing that words would be insufficient after what we had both experienced. Once she quieted down, she kissed me in that oh so sensitive spot below my ear and pulled back to gaze into my eyes. She agreed to let me go, yet still stating her fears of what could happen to me. She made me promise that I would learn how to jump lines, so that I could return home at any time if needed. I had already planned on asking Al to teach me just that, so it was an easy accommodation to meet. I also promised to make her tons of cookies and muffins for her consent. It wasn't necessary, but it put Ivy into a good mood, which I was always happy to see.

The next week saw me starting on my new work week, as it were. With how little runner work I got, it was easy enough to add a second day to my Ever After trips. My first day was fruitless, especially after I determined that there was no rhyme or reason to how his library was organized. It was especially difficult, as almost all the books had no title on the outside, meaning I had to open each individual book up to see what it was about. The fact that quite a few were in unknown languages made it even worse. I wondered if Al had translation curses that I could use. That would be extremely help, as I spoke English and nothing else. I still had that tulpa to create for Al, and who knows what else…

"Dear heart?"

I awoke from my reverie, realizing that I had been lost in thought the entire time that Ivy was eating and using her laptop. I smiled at her, wanting to know that there was nothing to worry about. "Sorry, Iv, just lost in thought. Just remembering what a hectic, yet wonderful, past month we've had."

Ivy returned my smile and opened her mouth to speak. However, before she could utter a word, another voice piper up. "Lost in thought? Geez, Rache, should we be worried?" Jenks flew over to our table, hovering in-between us. "Tink's fishnet stockings, we always get into trouble when you think. Maybe you should leave that to us instead?"

 _Little twerp_. I shook my head, trying to clear the low anger I was feeling. Jenks was an instigator and would often say things just to rile us up. It was just his way, so I curbed my desire to burn his butt for his words. "What, Jenks, don't you have chores to do instead of insulting me? I was **thinking** ," I added for emphasis, "that I should maybe get out to the garden and move some things around. You know, organizing and such…"

I almost laughed out loud at the nervous twitching he was doing; Ivy was doing her best not to smirk too widely. His dust had turned to an orange-red, which had to mean he was extremely nervous. "NO! I mean, no thanks, Rache. We have everything in hand; if we need help, we will let you know. I need to go check on the kids, to make sure they are doing okay." With that, Jenks quickly flew out of the kitchen. I felt vindicated; I rarely ever got the best of Jenks, so it always felt good when I did so.

Ivy started laughing and I joined her. It was a wonderful reminder of how much Ivy had loosened up after we got together; she might have had a short chuckle but would quickly regain her composure. To see her laugh and smile so frequently and openly was a marvelous thing. She was always beautiful before, but seeing her express herself like this just increased her beauty tenfold. I reached over and placed my hand on hers, happy to just be there with her.

"So, I start learning how to jump lines tomorrow. I don't know how quickly I will pick this up, so you may see me popping back and forth." Ivy was still a planner and wanted to know as much about any situation as possible beforehand. I was struggling to get used to this; I wanted to be a good girlfriend and support her by helping her in things she felt strongly about. I still forgot to tell her a lot, but I was slowly getting better.

"Good. The sooner you can do this, the better I will feel about you being there." Ivy was still smiling, so I knew she wasn't terribly pained about the thought of me being in the Ever After. It still bothered her, but we let those sleeping dogs lie. She had accepted that what I was doing was for both of us, even if it didn't thrill her that I was staying at Al's an extra day a week. She still stayed up long enough to make sure I made it home safely, which was always sweet of her. I made sure to properly thank her every day I came back to her.

I found that I had finished my danish while I was reminiscing, which was more than I wanted to eat. Sighing inwardly, I knew I was going to have to exercise more today to work off those calories. I was about to ask Ivy if she wanted to help me work them off, but she spoke first. "Rache, I have no runs planned for today; do you want to go out tonight? I can call and get a table at Constantinides' for us and maybe go dancing afterwards?"

Just the thought of going dancing with Ivy was almost enough to make me drool, plus the prospect of eating great Mediterranean food sealed the deal. I jumped out of my chair and into her lap, planting a big kiss on her lips. "I would love to go out with the sexiest vamp in the world. Just give me some time to get cleaned up and a bit more presentable, and we can go."

Ivy picked me up, putting me on my feet. Before I could register any complaint about leaving her embrace, she stood up and gathered me in her arms. "You could go just as you are and still be the most beautiful woman there. I love you, Rachel. I'm glad you are in my life."

I hugged her tightly, whispering words of love into her ear. Life was good for me. I wasn't on any hit lists ( _for now_ ), I was no longer shunned, my lessons with Al were going good for once, and I had the best girlfriend in the world. Everything was perfect. Unfortunately, with how my life worked, I was sure that something would go wrong soon. It didn't matter to me right now; I could handle it when it came up. I was bound and determined to enjoy myself while I could. It felt good to be this happy. Kissing Ivy once again, I rushed off to the shower, ready to have another adventure with the woman I loved.

The End

Rachel, Ivy and company will return in _Through a Mirror Darkly_

 **A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Thanks for reading! I would appreciate reviews; please let me know what I did right (and what I didn't); I want to be able to improve my writing. Any comments are greatly valued!**


End file.
